Protect Yourself and Report the Latest Frauds, Scams, Spams, Fakes, Identify Theft Hacks and Hoaxes
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Have you received an email from North America Millions Jackpot Lottery of saying "xxx", and that they will send you a check to deposit; just contact Andy William at 1-778-883-0173 or Johnny Miles 1-778-552-4593?
It is an AFF / Money transfer Scam. They'll send you counterfeit checks which you are supposed to deposit, take out some percentage (typically, 10%) for your work, and then MoneyGram or Western Union wire the remaining 90%. Notice that although you receive checks, they won't let you forward a check to them, only Western Union or Money Gram. There's a reason for this: Western Union and MoneyGrams are cashed immediately and are untraceable and irretrievable. Bank checks can take 1 or 2 weeks to clear!
Of course, since the check is fake, it will bounce a week or so later after you deposit it. But you have already moneygram'ed the scammers the 90% of the amount, and that is transacted almost instantly. So you now owe the bank for the full amount. You may also face criminal charges for passing counterfeit checks. See this page for a step-by-step explanation of how the scam unfolds.
Notice the passages in the actual scam email below. They point out some of the additional clues that it is a scam, such as the email comes from a free email account (such as Yahoo.com, Hotmail.com, Aim.com, Gmail, cox.net, etc.). Wouldn't you expect a company to have its own website and email address (after all, it only costs about $200/year; every reputable company has its own website these days!) And don't be surprised if the scammers do put the names of real companies, real websites and events in their scams; it doesn't mean anything at all!
I have recived a letter, with a check enclosed. It says that I have won the NORTH AMERICAN MILLIONS JACKPOT with the "lucky numbers" 01-08-11-27-33-45. My win is $250,000 and the enclosed check is $2,988.00 to pay all the taxes. It also pressurs to collec my win in 30 days. The check certainly does look real, however I can't be certain it is not a scam. It looks too good. It ask me to call either Andy William at 1-778-883-0173 or Johnny Miles 1-778-552-4593. The head of the letter states "West Finacial Group". The head of the check states "Linkvox Inc., 1205 John Reed Court, City of Industry, CA, 91745" and "Bank of the West, Rowland Heights, CA, 91748." I have been checking the web for information on this scam, but had no luck with finding anything yet, neither positve or negative.
Possibly "West Financial Group" also.
You can check the name of the issuing bank on the check with the names of banks that have reported stolen checks and you can call the bank to
You can go to this website and verify the routing number on the check and get the bank's phone number, then call the bank to verify that the account is real and the check is real.
If you believe you may have fallen victim to this type of scam and wish to report it, please file a complaint with the U.S. government Internet Fraud Complaints Center
Here is a summary of this type of fraud, from the United States Postal Service