Barnes Marketing Consumer Rewards Program Award Claim Notification - Final Notice! Pickering, Ontario

How much we all wanted this to be true. I know I did. I can't imagine if I followed through with this. Thank goodness for all your input, for research, and of course, ROR. Me, a single mother of three, paycheck-to-paycheck, so close to our USA holiday season. I'd be out around $800 dollars as I have read in others reports.

But I have the same to report. Funny how legitmate this ought to be when each of us have the same "lucky" ticket number. This is the information in my letter, verbatim  

Dated October 29, 2009 CLAIM # BAST50832910 Award Claim Notification Final Notice

"We have made unsuccessful attempts to contact you regarding your Consumer Rewards Program winning. Your name attached to ticket number 3749065 drew the lucky winning ticket. In accordance wtih the Consumer Rewards Commission policy, your prize award money has been forwarded to our clearing/disbursement institution to release your funds to you. Your lump sum payout is US $8000 (Eight Thousand Dollars) CONGRATULATIONS! Kindly contact Claims Agent Barbra Thompson at 1-905-783-7358 as soon as you receive this notice for further instructions on how to claim your grand winning. We have enclosed a check for the sum of US$986.88. Per your state regulation, you will be required to pay a tax and processing fee before your lump sum winning can be sent to you. Payment will be made directly to your tax agent. You will also need to fax you tax payment receipt to the fax number above."

Scam predators do not care who we are, what we need, whose lives they mess up. Yes, we can clean up the mess but the repairs will come at a higher cost and a loss of time and much needed income. I am hurt that I wanted to believe something good can happen to people. It does sound like a no-lose situation. Even their own bank - Citizen's Bank Massachusettes (the last 10 digits on the bottom of the check)- advised that although the account is a "real" account, there was no way the account holder had enough money to cover all our claims; therefore after reading the letter back to them, they advised to NOT cash that check. There is NOT enough information to support the legitimacy of this claim. I couldn't even call "Barbra" - I was so disgusted; I knew I could not hold a civil conversation with whoever was on the other side. If I do, I will update this post. Until then - cheers to research and this website! Best of luck and it is not bad to - hope (just don't let anyone take it if you're going to give it blindly) ...