Meridian Financial And Trust Co. Warning: Sweepstakes Scam Los Angeles California

Hello, my name is Jen. I am a 17-year-old girl who lives in Indiana.

Today, my father received a letter in the mail, along with a check for $4,579.25. The letter said, "We are pelased to inform you that you are one of the lucky winnters in the second category of the Publisher's Clearing House and a Compensation Draw Sweepstakes...making you a winner! You have therefore been approved for the lump sum of $225,000.00."
Recently, my father, who is a single parent, lost his job, a happenstance facing countless other Americans. The second we read this letter, we knew something was wrong. The envelope had no return address, and the stamp was Canadian. I would hope that many could empathize that while we knew something was wrong, our hopes that it was true could not be extinguished.

Upon receiving the letter, I Googled "Meridian Financial and Trust Co.," but could find no legitimate website. Then, I Googled "North American Direct Sweepstakes," thankfully stumbling upon this site, in which another user had posted a report.

The letter we received is very professional. They claimed, "Attached is a check of US $4,570.25 made available for you to pay the Government Service Tax (GST) of $2,270.00 and Insurance $1,845.00. Theses fees are mandatory and are meant to satisfy official law and income tax protocols...Pleas (That is how it is spelled, I did not mistype) wait 24 to 48 hours for your check to clear, one cleared, you can then proceed with payments."
I'm appalled to think that in such an economic crisis, people have the nerve to scam the unfortunate and the desperate.

I realize how desperate many are. My family, too, is coping with financial difficulties. Please do not be fooled. Contact your bank to make sure or just don't do anything at all. Better to be safe than sorry.

Also, my father with be contacting Indiana's Attorney General in hopes of stopping this scam, but be careful still.

Jsind
Norman, Indiana
U.S.A.