Publisher's Clearing House/Readers Digest/North American Claims Agent Mr. Walter Harris award claim final notification, enclosed check for processing fees, selected from computer ballot system database from USA & Canada, New York New York

My husband received the "Award Claim Final Notification" with a check for $4,317.00 USD "payable to you to pay for applicable processing fees & must be deposited into your account only after speaking with you claims agent."
It stated all prize money ($675,000.00 USD) must be claimed by 9/19/08 & to call your North American Claims Agent Mr. Walter Harris at 1-888-568-3558 ext. 1 for further instructions.

For further validation contact the Internal Revenue Service office at 1-514-746-8522. Recording stated "No more room to record messages".
After looking up frauds on the internet & recognizing many similar letters, I decided to call the numbers given to see what they said. Mr. Walter Harris' number had a recording saying "claims have been temorarily placed on hold -- contact customer service". End of message, no customer service number.

Had the local banks still been open when my husband received this letter, he was so excited to be winning $675.00.00 that he might very well have deposited the check into our account and I hate to think where things would go from there.

The recognizable names of "Publisher's Clearing House", "Readers Digest" and "Reiman Publications"(on check) are misleading.
The check and the letter looked very official & made me wonder about their validity -- that is why I'm responding to this "Ripoff Report". It would be too easy to fall into this trap if you didn't have any knowledge of how and why these "Ripoffs" work.

Judy
Oakland, Maryland
U.S.A.