Published: August 27, 2008 10:21 pm      

Buyer beware: Edmond man receives phony mail

EDMOND — An Edmond man who received a scam letter in the mail has a piece of advice for others who receive the same envelope — throw it away.

Richard Prawdzienski, a candidate for the House District 39 seat, said on Monday he received an envelope in the mail with postage from Canada and no return address. Prawdzienski is running for the seat against Republican Rep. Marian Cooksey and Democrat Graham Guhl on Nov. 4.

Inside the envelope, Prawdzienski found a letter from Global Promotions, 8648 131st Street, Edmondton, Alberta. The letter contains a claim number and begins with the words: “Final Notice: We are pleased to inform you, that you are one of the third category winners of the ‘Mega Millions Draw’ held on Sept. 15, 2007...”

The letter tells the recipient they have won $250,000. They also receive a $4,450 “check,” which has been “deducted from your winnings” to pay a “tax clearance fee.”

“It looks valid,” Prawdzienski said of the check.

It also informs recipients that they owe a “tax amount” of $3,400, and that they have the option of paying via MoneyGram or Western Union. They are told to contact their claims agent as soon as they receive the notification letter.

Prawdzienski said he noticed that there was no return address on the envelope, but when he first saw the check and the amount on it he was excited because he could have used a little extra cash.

Prawdzienski said that when he thought more about the check and read he was supposed to wire money in order to claim his winnings a “red flag” went up.

“I said, ‘What? Nobody sends me $4,000,’” Prawdzienski said. “Usually you have to call to claim your winnings.”

Using the printed phone number, The Edmond Sun tried to reach the listed claims agent and got a message saying the message box is “full.”

Charlie Price, a spokesman for Attorney General Drew Edmondson, said scams like this version from Canada have been circulating for years. Price offered some advice to future recipients.

“You can’t win a lottery you don’t enter,” Price said.

In this type of scam individuals are told to send money up front, Price said. And in this case, the timeless adage is true — if it sounds too good to be true, chances are it is.

Price said if someone receives this type of mail the best thing for them to do is to throw it away.

“Don’t do anything with your money because you’re going to lose it,” Price said.

According to Consumer Fraud Reporting, scammers get a person’s contact information from various sources including the Internet, through entering a “sweepstakes” or after winning a car, television or free vacation after registering and dropping a form in a box at the shopping mall.

Scammers write up phony e-mail or a letter, which can contain copied logos, photos, names, addresses and Internet links from legitimate organizations to make their scam appear genuine. Individuals working in a “fraud cell” send the phony mail.

Legitimate lotteries and sweepstakes never ask for money. Taxes are never paid through anyone else or by anyone else. Taxes are owed to the government only after someone wins a lottery.