New version of Nigerian Scam????
I got an interesting letter in the mail yesterday. It came from "Elite Financial, Inc" based in Vancouver, BC with a heading of "Sponsor: Lotto, Digest, Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes".
Pertinent excerpts of the letter -
You have been an exceptional lucky sweepstakes winner. [Note from .280 - I have NEVER entered Reader's Digest Publishing House Sweepstakes]That's why we are delighted to inform through this letter that our network system shows you as the lucky winner of unclaimed prize money in the amount of $43,650.00 USD. The system indicated that you won the award on March 7th, 2007 sweepstakes draw.
It is our duty to inform you of the existence of International Law guiding the fair personal collection of cash prizes. This International Law ensures that a winner pays a processing fee before the funds are released. The same law also prevents you from paying the fees out of your own pocket.
Your funds are now deposited with us and insured in your name. Please find enclosed a check in the amount of $1,990.00 USD cashable only by you. You will be advised by your claims agent on how much to be withdrawn and sent to the processing office to finalize your claim. This amount is an advance for your processing fee payment which will be deducted from your total winning. The balance will be paid out upon receipt of your payment.
Take advantage of this opportunity by contacting your claims agent; Mr. XXXXXX XXXXX: phone # -(xxx) xxx - xxxx
Please note, all prize money must be claimed no later than April 27th, 2007 at which time any unclaimed funds shall be forfeited.
The check that they enclosed is drawn on "Citizens Bank Massachusetts" on the account of "EBS, A Division of Elite Financial, Inc" located in East Orange, New Jersey.
I am assuming that if I should contact my so-called "claims agent" that I will be told to cash the check for $1990.00 and send them some portion (or all) of it and then I will receive the rest of that $43,650.00.
I am further assuming that shortly after the check that I sent them clears, that I will get a notice from my bank informing me that the check from "Elite Finacial, Inc" that I cashed has bounced and that I now owe my bank the $1990.00.
Has anybody else gotten this letter?
Pertinent excerpts of the letter -
You have been an exceptional lucky sweepstakes winner. [Note from .280 - I have NEVER entered Reader's Digest Publishing House Sweepstakes]That's why we are delighted to inform through this letter that our network system shows you as the lucky winner of unclaimed prize money in the amount of $43,650.00 USD. The system indicated that you won the award on March 7th, 2007 sweepstakes draw.
It is our duty to inform you of the existence of International Law guiding the fair personal collection of cash prizes. This International Law ensures that a winner pays a processing fee before the funds are released. The same law also prevents you from paying the fees out of your own pocket.
Your funds are now deposited with us and insured in your name. Please find enclosed a check in the amount of $1,990.00 USD cashable only by you. You will be advised by your claims agent on how much to be withdrawn and sent to the processing office to finalize your claim. This amount is an advance for your processing fee payment which will be deducted from your total winning. The balance will be paid out upon receipt of your payment.
Take advantage of this opportunity by contacting your claims agent; Mr. XXXXXX XXXXX: phone # -(xxx) xxx - xxxx
Please note, all prize money must be claimed no later than April 27th, 2007 at which time any unclaimed funds shall be forfeited.
The check that they enclosed is drawn on "Citizens Bank Massachusetts" on the account of "EBS, A Division of Elite Financial, Inc" located in East Orange, New Jersey.
I am assuming that if I should contact my so-called "claims agent" that I will be told to cash the check for $1990.00 and send them some portion (or all) of it and then I will receive the rest of that $43,650.00.
I am further assuming that shortly after the check that I sent them clears, that I will get a notice from my bank informing me that the check from "Elite Finacial, Inc" that I cashed has bounced and that I now owe my bank the $1990.00.
Has anybody else gotten this letter?
0
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no
there must be some way of finding out if the money is there before cashing the check.
I would like to turn stuff like this back on them.0 -
I'd do it, but then again I've never been referred to as exceptional . 0 -
I got some kind of letter saying I won some kind of sweepstakes recently, and it went right into the trash. (I think it was one of those "travel getaway" things. . .still garbage).
If I didn't enter the contest, there is no point in deliberating further. . .its a scam and not worth further attention. Its not like these scams are particularly hard to find:
http://www.consumerfraudreporting.org/lotteryscamnames.php
As to whether or not this is a "new" version of the Nigerian scam, fake sweepstakes (and lotto) scams have been running for decades.
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2006/12/top_ten_scams.html
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6082875/0 -
you know its fake.
Go ahead deposit it, and pay the processing fee. bank will not tell you check is bad for two weeks, and they will empty your account, but go ahead0 -
quote:Originally posted by moonshine
no
there must be some way of finding out if the money is there before cashing the check.
I would like to turn stuff like this back on them.
Open a new savings account with the money and don't touch it for a month or two.0 -
Did a little Google search and almost immediately found this; gosh, looks like I'm not the lucky winner I thought I was! [;)]
The most interesting (to me, anyway) post was the very last one! The logo the scammers used was, indeed, that of the genuine Elite Financial, Inc.
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anrw
Joined: 21 Feb 2007
Posts: 6
Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2007 9:58 am Post subject:
here are some reporting sites with alot of links to report scams and fraud around the world. they are associated with law inforcement around the world.
www.crimes-of-persuasion.com/Victims/reporting.htm
www.consumer.gov/sentinel/
I dont know if it will help, but when I did my own investigating it helped me.
keep posting here also
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foolmenonce
Joined: 23 Mar 2007
Posts: 1
Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2007 11:58 pm Post subject: my SUBJECT:AWARD CLAIM NOTIFICATION
Got a "Real" (bad) check today written by EBS, A Division of Elite Financial Inc 200 Feeeway Drive East
East Orange New Jersey 07018
Drawn from Citizens Bank Massachusetts
for $1980.00
check #s 011737 211070175 1137416995
MY Prize letter had the sanme wording as everyone esle's.
My "Claims Agent" is Sandra Parker 1-905-920-1149
Im an averagly intelligen guy and this looked real to me but fishy.
SOmeone should tell "LOTTO, READERS DIGEST, PUBLISHERS CLEARING HOUSE, SWEEPSTAKES" corporate lawyers to go after these sleazebags.
Was going to deposit it in an old bank accoutn with a balance of $35 to see what hapopened LOL
But I wont even bother.
THANKS FOR PUTTING UP THIS FORUM!
A Great Service!
Hope it helps othere not get fooled!
Coulda used the money tho!
Whaaaaaa!
: )
Chuck
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Judithvisco
Joined: 26 Mar 2007
Posts: 1
Posted: Mon Mar 26, 2007 12:36 am Post subject: Got the same letter just today....
Global Finance INC.
Main Brance; 323 Bay Street. Nassau, Bahamas.
Sponsors; DIGEST, PUBLISHER'S CLEARING HOUSE, SWEEPSTAKES.
Judith Dee Visco
[Address]
SUBJECT: AWARD CLAIM FINAL NOTIFICATION.
LOT-CBS3610 & CLAIM-JV21485/32907.
People's Vision and thinking determines their success in life, and the reason for your good fortune is clear. After numerous attempts to reach you have failed, we are pleased to inform you through this letter that our network system shows you as the lucky winner of unclaimed prize money in the amount of 43,000 USD (Forty Three Thousand Dollars). The system indicates that you won the award on March 2nd, 2007 sweepstakes draws.
All participants were selected through a computer ballot system drawn from Reader's digest, Publisher's Clearing house, Computer games, sweepstakes date base, are from Australia, New Zealand, Europ, North and South America, South Africa and Asia, as this is our International Promotions Program, which is conducted annually CONGRATULATIONS!!
It is important to remind you of the federal and International Laws guiding the fairness in personal collection of cash prizes. The law requires a winner to pay applicable Taxes and Processing feesbefore all the funds are relased. The same laws also prevent you from paying with your personal money but from your winning money.
Your funds are now deposited with us and are now insured in your name. Please find enclosed check of 2,975.00 USD. payable to you and must be deposited only to the payees account cashed and part sent to the registration, processing and paying office to finalize your claims. This amount is in adcance for processing out to you upon receipt of your confirmation. We adcise that you keep your lot and claim numbers confidential until your claim had been proberly processed and funds are remitted to you as this is part of our security protocol to acoid any DOUBLE CLAIMS.
we hope you'll give urgent attention to this mail byy contacting your claims agent Paul Zuma at 1-289-888-1394 Mon-Fri, 9am-7pm, Sat 9 am-4pm ET. NOTE: all prize money must be claimed not later then April 17th 2007 at which any unclaimed funds shall be forfeited. Once again congratulations from all our staff and thank you for your trust in our services.
Sincerely VICTORIA DAWKINS
CO-OPERATE DIRECTOR GENERAL.
*this all sounded so real to me... Seariously, I am un educated and cant spell or read that great, so when I was reading this it all looked so perfesional.... I am still not sure if there are any mis spellings. But Thank god my mamma taught me NEVER to trust what is not believable.... Too bad too. I could have REALLY used that money. I am on the verge of being aviceted. and if that money was real. I could have bin just fine..
You never think its gonna happen to you, until it does. and then everything just sucks when U find its nothing but lies....
Thank you to all that reserced and also had there own experiences with this... Without this info, I may have actully deposted this check and went along with it.... and garenteed I would have went down for this... seariously~ [/u]
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LLOYDNPATSY
Joined: 26 Mar 2007
Posts: 1
Posted: Mon Mar 26, 2007 11:39 pm Post subject: elite financail inc
got one of those bad real checks today . your right chuck it does look real but something in the back of your mind says something is wrong with this picture. so we looked it up and found this page. thanks for confirming whdat we already thought this is a scam. did you know that the name and symbol on the check is for a real mortgage place but they aren't in new jersey. hope they don't sucker anyone in cause like you said people could use the money.
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jroberts@elitefinancialin
Joined: 27 Mar 2007
Posts: 1
Posted: Tue Mar 27, 2007 11:55 am Post subject: elite financial inc
My name is Jason Roberts....I manage Elite....We have one office in Ofallon MO....We are a mortgage company....i have received over 100 calls about this scam...we have nothing to do with this and have reported this to both the attorney general as well as i personally called the winnipeg police department because that is where the phone number that was on one of the letters went...somebody stole our logo and is using it on the letters0 -
Did anyone see the Dateline NBC program where they did a sting to reveal these nigerian scams ? The guys are almost always based out of London and they are all black africans. The FBI basically admitted they spend no time and effort to catch these guys and they operate at free will. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by newtgingrich
Did anyone see the Dateline NBC program where they did a sting to reveal these nigerian scams ? The guys are almost always based out of London and they are all black africans. The FBI basically admitted they spend no time and effort to catch these guys and they operate at free will.
I'm sure if you could interview them off the record the Feds would say that they would love to stick their collective foot up these crooks backsides. However, the reality is that the FBI has no jurisdiction in London, and couldn't operate there even if they wanted to (at least not without major hassles and headache).
IMO the best thing to do with these things is immediately toss them and give them no second thought.
You just know you aren't going to come out ahead in the ensuing "transaction" so why are you wasting your time?0 -
I got one the other day purporting to be from the Nigerian government offering to help me recoup any losses I may have had.
"We found your email address on the hard drive of a scammer."0 -
said it before and i'll sayt it again, if your dumb enough to fall for this crap, you deserve to be bankrupted. 0 -
laidbackdan
that is a problem
mom used to call me son she did that cause I was so bright.
quote:I'd do it, but then again I've never been referred to as exceptional0 -
Mama always told me that if it SEEMS too go to be true............ 0 -
quote:Originally posted by Henry0Reilly
I got one the other day purporting to be from the Nigerian government offering to help me recoup any losses I may have had.
"We found your email address on the hard drive of a scammer."
I have had to deal with the Nigerian government recently for work and I have to say that they are just as bad as the scammers!0
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