Harborside Financial Services Fraudulent check ($2990) possible identity theft New Jersy New Jersey

I received a check (looking very real) for $2990 saying I had won a prize from a drawing from a pool of unclaimed sweepstakes awards. A total of $85,000 was the award amount and I was to call with my claim # within 2 weeks.

Knowing something was very wrong, (the envelope had no return address and was from Canada, too good to be true, etc.)we did a little investigating. We took the envelope to the police who looked at it under a microscope and discovered that the line where you would endorse the check was actually text. It was in French, a language we don't speak. Also, the "security lines" diaganally accross the back were also French text.

We were informed that endorsing the check could be an enforceable contract even if we could not read, understand, (or even know about) the fine print. We might have been enrolling in something that would cost us, or we might be giving them the authority to take money from our bank accounts. (They would have the bank info and our account # from the endorsed check) Also, the whole incident was not necessarily a chargeable offense.

I assume that if we had called the phone number they would have wanted a social security number, birthdate, etc. which would have enabled the sender to commit identity fraud.

Be aware that the names "Morgan Stanley" and "Citibank" appeared on the check. (I'm sure to make it seem authentic) Don't cash the check. Don't call the phone number. Report it to the police, share the scam info. and shred the letter. You haven't lost anything, only become a little more cynical.

John
Sunnyvale, Utah
U.S.A.