SCAM  
Read above

DO NOT cash this check
it is A scam
google  Readers digest scam
you will see various amounts come up  with several peoples names
call your bank and tell them to stop the proces of this check
contact your local FBI agency
Belive me I needed this money also but it is not worth the  trouble it wil cause you
ify ou do not stop the process on this check  your bank will debit your account for the  amount
THIS CHECK IS  A FRAUD

I just received a letter from readers digest with a $4900 check included. The instructions read to call a representative named Sarah Fisher. She asked me to deposit the check and when it clears to call her back to pay the insurance fee. This type of scam is popular now a days. The bank clears about half the amount for the fist couple of days, so the scammer asks you to send back a certain amount. A few days later. The check bounces and the victim gets nailed with the missing money. Be very catious with these type of scenarios. Always do your research.

i"ve receive a letter with $4980.00 also i did deposit it to my account,but my account is inactive, so i will no what to do next, those bastered.its saying that i won on the 28th of december 2010.

I received the same type of check,and letter saying second place winner of 4970.20
When i called the nuber to ask if this is real a guy told me yes and i should deposit it to claim 500.000 and that i will send him 3600 for the insurance. Its sounds real the check look real so i did next thing two day my account balance show up overdraft 4970.20 the amont that was deposited now i owe the bank money if you see this type a check in the the mail report it dont put it in your bank its a scam

no there is no money its a scam to steal your money. they use the counterfeit checks in MYSTERY SHOPPING SCAMS AS WELL

NO LEGITIMATE SWEEPSTAKES SENDS YOU A CHECK TO PAY TAXES OR FEES WITH!

the check (RED FLAG#1)they send is counterfeit.  the scammers KNOW that the bank will release the funds within  3 -5 days,  but will not officially BOUNCE until about 2 weeks later

they have you WIRE (RED FLAG#2 never wire money to strangers) most of it back to them.
The bank comes back - and takes ALL the money from the check out of your account and YOU have to pay the bank back for all funds from the bad check - you can even be arrested for passing checks



Giving The Bounce To Counterfeit Check Scams
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/articles/naps29.pdf

NAPS)?A new scam is swindling consumers: checks that seem legitimate to both bank employees and consumers, but that are counterfeit and leave unsuspecting consumers footingthe bill.

The Federal Trade Commission has a new brochure, ?Giving the Bounce to Counterfeit Check Scams,? which explains common angles used in these scams, the responsibilities of banks and consumers when it comes to counterfeit checks, and advice on how to avoid them.

While the angles used by scam artists may vary, the basics of the counterfeit check scam remain the same.

The consumer receives a generous check with an explanation that he or she has just won an award, a prize, a lottery or some other windfall.

The consumer is instructed to deposit the check and wire a portion back to pay fees, taxes or the like. The consumer deposits the check, the bank credits the funds to the consumer?s account and the consumer wires the money to the sender.

Some time later, both the bank and the consumer learn the check was bogus. Unfortunately, the consumer is out of luck: The money that was wired can?t be retrieved and, by law, the consumer is responsible for the deposited check?even though he or she didn?t know it was fake.

The FTC advises consumers not to rely on funds from checks unless they know and trust the person who gave them the checkor, better yet, until the bank confirms that the check has cleared.

Other tips:

? Throw away any offer that asks you to pay for a prize or a
gift. If it?s free or a gift, you shouldn?t pay for it.

? Resist the urge to enter foreign lotteries. It?s illegal to play a foreign lottery through the mail or the telephone, and most foreign lottery solicitations are phony.

? Know who you?re dealing with and never wire money to strangers.

? If you?re selling something, don?t accept a check for more than the selling price, no matter how tempting the offer or how convincingthe story. Ask the buyer to write the check for the correct amount. If the buyer refuses to send the correct amount, return the check. Don?t send the merchandise.

? If you accept payment by check, ask for a check drawn on a local bank or a bank with a local branch. That way, you can make a personal visit to make sure the check is valid.

? If the buyer insists that you wire back funds, end the transaction immediately.

? Resist any pressure to ?act now.? If the buyer?s offer is good now, it should be good after the check clears.

To file a complaint and for more information, visit www.ftc.gov.

I recieved the same letter as most of the previous posters. I called the #and contacted the rep-Stacy Fisher and she talked so fast that I had to ask her to slow down and repeated herself a couple times. Definately a red flag. Then she went on to say that the $4890.00 check was to cover the insurance expenses to send the $145,000. I also went onto the Readers Digest website and it said that winners recieve a letter from Sweepstakes Diector, Ronald Leslie. The Sweepstakes Director on my letter is Lynn Reid and the signature stamp isn't even the same name. I was a little hopeful because I have in the recent past filled out some consumer surveys and have been a subscriber to Reades Digest.

just received the exact same check for $4980  figured it to be too good to be true and decided to check the net for scumbag scam  there is NO FREE Lunch glad i didn't call that 778 area code number and rack up all kinds of charges on my cell  that was actually a bit of a tip off  s/b something like 800 or 866 toll free #

Same letter, same check, except contact was WENDY LEWIS at this number. I think I'm on an International sucker's list...Don't respond.

i got the same check form supposly from readers digest and i called the people and they told me to put the check in my bank account and then when it cleared to call them so that they could send a photographer out with the rest of the check i called readers digest and they said that it was not one of theres there letters come cerfatied and they tell you the drawing you one and when i looked up the3 numners they are cell numbers for candian and i told them that i was going to put it in my bank then i was to call them back i never stuck it in my account but i tried to call them back the next day and the numbers had been dicount so if anyone gets this letters just take them to the police and that is all that you can do
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I also received the same letter and check today, Same plain envelope with no return address, with homemade sticker on front for my address. WENDY LEWIS is the "Customer Care Representative" that I was to contact at 778-862-2165, it goes to VM and it is full no more messages can be left. I actually called THE CHASE MANHATTAN BANK, N.A. in Syracuse, N.Y. spoke with a supervisor and he had informed me that the routing number and check number on the botttom of the check was actually a Cashiers Check.  I then tried to contact the PRIZE AWARD ADMINISTRATOR with Tel: 778-320-3577 some man answered and said Please hold and right away i was being connected to an International Number of some sort. I tried to tell the man at the bank if there was any way we could report the person who opened the account he took the info and was gonna turn it over to the Fraud Dept at the bank....I really hope they catch these ppl who are doing this, If not.....GOD will deal with them in the long run!!!!!!

I got a letter today from this phony Reader Digest.  It says:

We are pleased to announce the release of our sweepstake draw held on December 28, 2009, among the elibigle participants your entry was one of the three randomly seleced finalists.  As the grand prize winner you qualified to receive the amount of One Hundred and forty five Thousand Dollars...

Anyway this letter and check that was included has fake written all over it.  There is ink all over the letter from the check.  I called the 1-778-223-7799 number they gave to call and "activate my check" but the voicemail kept coming on and the mailbox is full.  Another red flag.

This scam is going in the trash!!!

Most banks won't even deposit it...you have to get a retarded new employee to do it.  It's a phishing scam...they want your personal information...they don't even care about the check or what you do with it.  The worst that can happen is that you depost it, some dumb teller allows it and then you pull out money to find out the check was bad later, then you owe that money back to the bank and you better have it or you are screwed.  I had this happen with a check sent to me from Africa one time from someone on Craigslist offering to buy my tv for $5000.  I knew this was crazy, but my wife and I went to the bank to find out...the teller told us just what I am telling you...just trash it.

Police won't do anything about it, but there may be a federal fraud unit that is interested...haven't tried that yet.

if you receive a letter from readers digest saying you won 145,000 and you need to deposit there check for 4,980.70 it is fake i called readers digest my self and they said that all of there letters they send out for the sweepstakes do not included the check first so do not give them information just report them and gone on

It seems like a scam, but what are they asking for?

What happens if you deposit? If it bounces the Bank charges20 bucks, but besides that, what?

Received a check today for $4,980.00.  I called the number but was asked to call back in 20 minutes.  If there were only 3 winners, why would there be several people trying to call?  I checked out the number in reverse white pages and could find very little information aside from it's a cell phone under the name of Paul and that's all.  doesn't sound very official.  the check sure looks real and, of course, very tempting.  The number listed- 778-223-4071 to call and to ask for Stacy Fisher.  A guy answered when I called.  I must say, he didn't have a very professional sounding voice as he told me to call back in 20 minutes.  I also have no recollection of entering such a contest.  This has all the markings of a scam.

Same thing.  But mine says Stacy Fisher

Just got the same exact check/letter today.

Same issue, plain envelope, sticker with my first home address (not current), letter is the same but the name is WENDY LEWIS.

Cigna bank

It's too bad this is happening...will file a police report.

Got the letter on plain paper not embossed like it would have been if it had come from Readers Digest, called the number listed 778-323-0555 and got a recording that "Sharon" would call me back.  Came in a plain white envelope with a generic label.  Bank1One was the named bank with the check coming from Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company.

Decided to check this out here on the net before doing anything.  Now I am going to turn it over to the authorities.

Received a letter with no return address in the mail today.  It had a postmark date of May 25, 2010 with a .44 cent USA Flag Stamp.

The letter inside had a logo from 'Readers Digest'.  It was dated May 23, 2010.  There was a Claim Code:X11X-X11.

It read the following:

Notice: (my name)

We are pleased to announce the release of our sweepstake draw held on December 28, 2009, among the eligible participants your entry was one of three randomly selected finalists.  As the grand prize winner you qualified to receive the amount of $145K USD credited to entry claim code X11X-X11. Congratulations!

Please contact Customer Care Representative SHARON KIRGAN at the prize distribution department for additional information on processing your claim and activation of the check enclosed at 1-778-323-0555 with your claim code for verification as soon as you receive this notification to avoid any delays and forfeiting of unclaimed prize funds.  No purchase or skill-testing questions required.

Please be advised all recipient information is confidential and collecting of any personal or bank information are prohibited by our privacy policy.

Once again congratulations from all our staff and we look forward to hearing from you.

Hour of Operation: Mon - Fri: 7-6pm (PST) Sat: 7-12pm (PST)

Sincerely,
Lynn Reid Prize Award Administrator

Check for $3,980.00 from Nationwide Insurance (P.O. Box 8379, Canton OH 44711-8379) was enclosed.

Companies represented at the bottom of the letter include: 'BBB', 'Walmart', 'KMart/Sears', 'Target', 'Home Depot', 'Zellers' and 'Macys'.

I called the number listed on the letter and got the voicemail for 'SHARON KIRGAN'.  The mailbox was full and i was unable to do anything further.

I then proceeded to google search 'Lynn Reid' and came upon this page.

More to follow as i unravel this.

Got my "check" in the mail today for $3,998.00.  About hit the floor.  Took it to my local bank and they told me they were 99.9% sure it was fraud.  Said they would deposit it in an account of theirs and see what happens, but now I know nothing will happen.  I am so blown away.  I had all my kids college loans paid and unpaid in the same breath.  HOW can these people sleep at night?  I am amazed at what people will do to other people with NO regard!  Thanks for the little glimmer of hope that I might actually be able to help my kids!

I received the same letter, drawing of 12/28/09; $3,980; Cigna; Canadian phone number; did anyone try to cash it, besides the first post from March? I called a week ago and spoke to Stacy Walls she said Micheal Fur would be out of town for a couple of weeks. I called today about 15 min berfore 6pm (Pacific time) and Michael Fur answered. Haven't gone to bank,  but does say Reader's Digest with an R in a cicle, not Reader's Digest.com.  Michael Fur, said to deposit it & then call when it was deposited. He told me I was part of a random drawing through making purchases at store like Walmart, Target and/or Kmart. He stated the check was to cover expenses of sending the $145K, I could have been easily duped but the same thing for all of us is to good to be true,

Have you heard anything yet?  Is the money there?  As I got one yesterday.

got the same thing, drawing of 12/28/09; $3,980; Cigna; Canadian phone number; did anyone try to cash it, besides the first post from March? Haven't gone to bank, closed here. but does say Reader's Digest with an R in a cicle, not Reader's Digest.com.  Michael Fur, is not going to be in for a few weeks, spoke with another woman & see said to deposit it & then call when it was deposited.  Here it sits, as do I.

sames scenario, same dollar amounts, what to do???  Does the check clear???

I got the same check and im calling the cops, i wish icould catch these b*****ds....

I just got a check for $3980 - CIGNA - Connecticut General Life Insurance Company, an agent for Archdiocese of Baltimore, dated 05 12 2010, and a letter from RD just like V.T. above, and that I qualified to receive 145K.  It said this was from a drawing on 12 28 09 - 4 1/2 months ago!!  I am to contact Micheal Fur at the same 778 number, which is a Canadian area code.  The envelope is postmarked out of Seattle and has a US .44 stamp on it.  The envelope has no return address on it.

I got this check CIGNA check from Reader's Digest that came in a plain white envelope with a home made print out sticker for address. Sound too good to be true. Going to turn this in to the authorities ASAP.

Heh, got mine today too.  I decided to do research before i did anything with it. Off to the police I go.