Northern Trust Ripping off an American Chicago Illinois

 I received a letter with a return address in North York, Canada, but the letterhead stated this company was located in Chicago, IL. That's what drew my suspicion at first. A "very believable check" from JP Morgan Chase Bank was included for $985.20. Upon reading the letter, I was informed that I had won a sweepstakes for being a Walmart customer. Well I do enter several sweepstakes and always submit to the survey at the bottom of my Walmart receipt. Therefore I assumed I had finally won something in my 60 years of life. Congratulations to me!!! I was to call 1-888-425-0930 and ask for Mark Taylor. He would instruct me as to how to collect my winnings. "Winnings" I was going to receive more than the $985.30. It was my lucky day. So I did exactly that. I called Mark Taylor. A very nice woman answered the phone announcing "Good afternoon, Northern a Trust. How can I help you?" So far, so good I was then connected to Mark Taylor. That's when my balloons started popping. Mark had a very thick foreign accent telling me I had won $49,260.00. I was unable to understand his broken English the first time he told me. So he repeated the prize amount again. All I had to do was send him a check for $800.00 to cover the taxes for this large sum of money. He would then send me the winnings. He also informed me that the check I had already received was to cover these expenses, plus some. Pop,pop,pop! The last ballon I was imagining finally disappeared. I was being scammed by this Mark Taylor and his phony company Northern Trust. Who am I kidding? I knew when I opened the letter it was all phony. But some other poor sole may have not remembered being warned that one never had to pay to win these types of sweepsteaks. Nor do they ever have to purchase anything. Fortunately I had remembered. But only because I receive at least once a month these types of letters. I'd like to know why so many have suddenly emerged in my mailbox. Is it because I'm now considered elerly? Or is it because these scammers think all Americans have no intelligence and are easily fooled? With today's technology, these phony letters and checks are becoming more realistic looking every day. But Im stilled baffled by the exspense theses scammers acquire with these scams. As their acts become more sophisticated so does their exspense. It only tells you people out there must be falling for their greedy schemes. We have to do a better job of informing the public how to identify these types of letter,emails,or phone calls. As an almost victim I encourage everyone reading my complaint to pass this saying around, "You never pay to win". Taxes come later.