Union Financial Securities & Trust Check looks real but still a SCAM!! BEWARE!! Toronto Ontario

I opened my mail on 7/15/08 to find a letter and a check from Union Financial Securities & Trust in Toronto Canada. The check was written for the amount of $4,875.00 USD and the letter stated that I had been declared a winner of the DE-LOTTO NORTH AMERICAN SWEEPSTAKES LOTTERY. The letter went on to say that I was entitled to the sum of $125,000.00 US Dollars along with 32 other declared winners. It also said that this was the FIRST CHECK I would receive and that it was for payment of government taxes on my "big winnings."

As I read further I got to the catch of this bogus offer. I needed to keep this winning CONFIDENTIAL and contact Joe Martins at 416-893-5310. I also needed send $2875.00 directly to the tax agent via Western Union or Money Gram.

I already knew this was a scam when I started reading the letter but I guess this company gets people with the checks they send. I mean it looks real and is drawn from a real bank, National City Bank at 10 W. 2nd St. Ashland, OH 44805 (their direct phone number is 419-289-2112 and customer service number is 800-622-6736). So I went ahead and called this bank. I spoke to two different customer service agents and they both could not locate the account number 7701870 written on the bottom of the check. I also spoke to someone in the bank branch and they could not help either. Of course there are no branches of this bank located where I live in California so I can't even take it to them to report this company is using their bank to scam people.

I am thankful for the ripoff report because when I googled this company name there I found a report from Sue in Abilene, TX (along with other reports as well). Everything she wrote was in my letter. Thank you ripoff report and thank you Sue. I am shreading this check and I hope these people get what they deserve. Trying to scam people out of their hard earned money is the lowest of low!

Nik0707
Bloomington, California
U.S.A.