Lottery scams target Wilton, Easton residents | Acorn-Online.com

Written by James Passeri

Thursday, 13 December 2012 13:32

Residents in Wilton and Easton have been targets of what appears to be the same lottery scam in the last few weeks.

On Dec. 4, a Cheese Spring Road resident reported to Wilton police he had received a check for $3,455 in the mail announcing he was a winner of a lottery drawing. Instructions directed him to cash the check and send $3,100 to a clearing house.

The check was from a Wells Fargo bank branch in Ohio, and according to Wilton police the lottery drawing was from the European, African and USA Consumer sweepstakes in conjunction with USA Department Stores.

On Nov. 26 and Nov. 27, two Easton residents were similarly notified they were the winners of a $250,000 lottery award and received a check in the amount of $3,455. To receive the balance of the award they were told to send a check in the amount of $3,100 for processing fees. One check was seemingly drawn from a New York Mellon Bank account, the other from Citibank.

Both scam letters contained South African postage stamps. Easton police are investigating.

If any of the potential victims had followed the instructions accompanying their check, they would have found the check was drawn on an account with insufficient funds, and would have become liable for funds their bank would seek to recover.

Charles Howell, president and CEO of The Wilton Bank, said these types of scams are commonplace and customers should be increasingly protective of their bank accounts, especially as the Internet has made it easier for criminals to hatch ever more complex schemes.

“If a consumer receives a suspicious call or message, even if it appears legitimate, it never hurts to call the organization and check, especially in the cases of lotteries,” he said.

“You can alert organizations that issued your credit cards and accounts. Accounts can be closed or account numbers can be changed. It’s also very important to notify credit agencies.”

Throughout the year, Wilton police have received a variety of reports from citizens regarding banking scams, often in which customers were asked to wire money to help out support their relatives, described by anonymous callers as needing bail money or in trouble abroad.

In a twist on the above scams, Attorney General George Jepsen and state Department of Social Services Commissioner Roderick Bremby sent a warning on Friday cautioning consumers about a postal scam involving fraudulent sweepstakes award notifications accompanied by a bogus government check bearing the State of Connecticut seal and purporting to be from the Department of Social Services.

The phony check arrives in an envelope stamped in another state or country and the “instructions” are the same as those outlined above.

“While the check may look real, it is fraudulent and should not be deposited,” Mr. Jepsen said. “This scheme is the latest variation on the check overpayment and money-wiring scams that have plagued consumers in recent years.”

His office said Connecticut government agencies do not send out unsolicited checks to consumers as a means to help pay for lotteries or other contests.

“Don’t wire money back to anyone you don’t know. There is no legitimate reason for someone who is paying you, or giving you money, to send you a check and ask you to wire money back,” his office said in a press release.

Mr. Howell of The Wilton Bank warned residents to always refrain from giving their Social Security numbers to callers and email senders, especially people claiming to be representatives of credit card companies.

“It’s the most common method identity thieves will use to obtain information,” he said. “Sometimes they will also ask for a mother’s maiden name or other personal information.”

Emails increasingly pose a threat of fraud to banking customers, as scam artists now send messages, often bearing the logo of a major bank or financial institution, soliciting personal information and account numbers, Mr. Howell said.

If a scam artist obtains enough information to access bank accounts, the person can even take out home equity lines of credit. Scam artists are often able to change email and address information as a means of misdirecting notices of suspicious activity, which banks typically send upon observing irregular withdrawals and transfers.

“The victim can usually be reimbursed, but it can take a long time and ruin a person’s credit,” Mr. Howell said.