(Emmetsburg)– Palo Alto county authorities are warning local residents of a new financial scam making the rounds.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, a county resident recently got a letter in the mail advising him he had won nearly 80-thousand dollars in an international promotions program. The letter also contained a check in the amout of 4,860-dollars to pay for processing and clearance fees. The check featured the logo and name of a nationally recognized financial institution.
The man was told to call an international claim agent to learn how to receive the 79-thousand dollar prize.
The man decided at the time to call the Sheriff’s Office because he didn’t remember entering a contest and felt the letter was too good to be true.
A deputy took the check to a local bank. Even though an account did exist for the company, the bank was told the check could not be cashed. The check was bogus and if it had been cashed, the man or bank would have been responsible for the full amount.
The deputy then called the number on the letter and presented himself as the winner of the contest. He was told to deposit the check in a personal account, then forward 43-hundred dollars to an address in Houston, Texas. When the deputy revealed his true identity, the agent used profanity and hung up the phone.
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