MAACO Financial Services Sent me a letter with a check drawn from PNC Bank out of Phila. for $4,650.00 saying I won $250,000. Brandon,canada Manitoba

Please tell me that this is seriously a joke. This type of scam is HUGE and if you haven't figured out by now, it was NOT Maaco Financial that sent you that. I work at a financial institution and come across a great deal of these types of scams, so trust me, I know what I am talking about. Why would anyone in the world offer you money for pennies on the dollar in return? Exactly. As the old saying goes, 'If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is'.

If you are serious, well, if you sent a certified check it would not contain your bank information. The MICR numbers on the bottom of the check are the BANK'S bank account, so there wouldn't be any unauthorized checks on there period, so the money is safe. Now, if you sent them a wire transfer (which is how I run into most of these), than yes, they now have your account number and routing number, which you should change rightaway if you have not already been advised by your bank to do so. The whole scheme is for the check to be deposited, the bank doesn't hold it because the account history doesn't warrant one), the person wires or Wester Union's the money to the person, and eventually the check comes back as bad, and the money is taken back out of the account (and usually written off as a loss by the bank). These happen through mystery shopper programs, foreign lottery winnings, offers of credit, eBay auctions, the list goes on, believe me.

Good luck.