well, did you get the package yet?

I to received a letter stating I had won the sweepstakes for $380,000 US dollars. so I called Mr. Franco
Bruno and he asked why I didn't call sooner.( I received the letter in February and thought it was a scam.
But since the letter I have fallen into a Severe cash problem) He had me send the $6100 check back to him and so I did. I am now waiting for a packet from Federal Express that he is sending me. He has asked for nothing so far so I am going to see what happens next. I will let you all know!! I just knew it WAS to good to be true, Story of my life.

Well I am lucky that I have a bank that took the time to check on this $380,000 US dollars I won in a sweepstake I never entered.  EVERYTHING is exactly as Donna and Fli said.  The check looked authentic and I followed instructions feeling that I had finally won a big prize. Except I called Mr. Franc Bruno and TOLD him I had deposited the. $6,700 check and asked what the next step towards receiving the balance of my winnings would be.Bruno reiterated the importance of keeping the whole procedure confidential for my own safety. My question to anybody who knows...if I had deposited the $6700 check and paid the fees asked for, how would I be scammed? after all they provided the funds from which the fees would be taken...none of my money would be involved...or would it?  I would have waited, as would MY bank for the check to clear and $6,700 would be in my account.  Am I wrong? the fees they ask for are about $900 less than what I would have recieved. I could use $900

March 10, 2012

I also received a check but in the amount of $ 6000.00 for legal fees.  It from Emily Carr University fo art & design. It was also from Lloyd Branson Law  firm Associate & Sweepstake Inc. They said that I have won $380,000US and wanted me to deposit the check immediately and then contact Franco Bruno. The check was from Royal Bank of Canada. I knew it was a SCAM.

I got the same letter on March 8, 2012. And I thought the same thing. Noone in their right mind would send a check that big in the mail, but scammers. At least try a little harder and have us sign for it !

I recieved a check in the amount of $6,700.00 today from Musqueam Indian Band drawn on the Royal Bank of Canada it was also from the Lloyd Branson Law Firm Associate & Sweepstake Inc. saying that I have won $380.000US and they want me to deposit the check and immediately contact Franco Bruno my legal representative so he can assist me in aquiring my winning but they want me to pay out of this check process fee: $1,600.00 and Legal Fee: $ 1,800,00 that a total of $3,400.00 if you win something you do not have to pay anything for it this is a fraud so be aware of this scam.  I called the Royal Bank they told me to take it to my bank president and let him handle it and see what comes of it if it is fraud then it will be turned over too the FBI so that they can go after this company because we have names and addresses on these people if this is not a scam I will get back to you and let you know to turn your checks in to your bankers and let them handle them the way they do mine.

Did not receive a call, but did receive a letter with a check.  I suspect that it is a scam.

Did not receive a call but I did get a letter with this phone number listed for Lloyd Branson and associates.  Figured it was a scam but I would be interested to know how it works.

I did not get a call but did get a letter and a Check, I immediately called the issueing bank "Capital One" and found out (If you can believe this) IT IS A FRAUDULENT CHECK !!!!!!!!!  I am turning this over to the California District Attorney for full prosecution. The address My letter was from is 306 Blackcomb Way, Whistler, BC, Canada V0N 1B4 from a Mr Martinez. also the international sweepstakes surplus commision (I.S.S.C) is listed on the bottom of the letter. The Telephone Number listed is 778-223-2160

I hope these SCUMBAGS get caught and dealt with accordingly. By the way the check received was for $6900.00 and the check even fooled the branch manager of my bank ! also a check was cashed from the branch it was written on same amount and all the other info was correct on the check (routing # and Account #) but not issued to My Spouse.

DO NOT FALL FOR THE SCAM

My husband had a neat way of dealing with scam callers. As soon as they asked for any information he would say, I'll be happy to oblige but first I need your name, address, phone number and Social Security number. The answer was always CLICK. Never a good idea to give out any information, no matter how innocuous it seems. Sometimes if you start asking questions the caller will indicate the need to bring a "supervisor" to the phone to answer you. This is just another, maybe more skillful, scammer. These days I think caller ID is a service well worth paying for.
I'm pretty savvy about scams but I have to admit I wondered briefly if this Ameriprice was real, was about to call my state consumer protection office until I got on line here.

How nice to find all this info. My letter was from Ameriprice Financial, Inc. of Las Vegas claiming I had won $250,000 and sending a check for $3,900.66 " to help pay taxes, ($2,980)  Insurance, Handling and Shipping fees" The check is under the name American Railcar Leasing (??) and Sovereign Bank. No address.
Yep, the stamp on the envelope is Canadian. The letter instructs me to call Don Martins, claims manager at 778-323-3436.
What made me laugh most was their telling me, "Your co-operation is mandatory..." Says who?
There actually is a company called Ameriprise so they have chosen a legitimate sounding name, just changed one letter. They are sneakier than some of these scammers who are stupid enough to put right in the letter that you should send them a processing fee. These guys don't. They rely on curiosity, figure when you call they will smooth talk you into believing they are legit.
I'm not surprised that someone reported hearing a foreign accent. Some such letters I've received from other scammers read as if written by someone whose first language is NOT English, so they could originate anywhere.

I agree these people should be stopped. A lot of us could sure use $250,000 or $380,000 in this economy, and these scammers I think get especially active when they know people are vulnerable. Hey, I occasionally buy a few lottery tickets or enter sweepstakes where the payout is a year or more away, and just forget about them. So it's tempting to hope it's real. But it isn't.

funny how today i recieved the same info.. that i was a sweepstakes winner for the amount of 380,000 US dlls. and enclosed with a chk for 7,200.00 to cover all legal fees... so i called the same number that you have listed and funny... i look at my cell ph. to see where im dialing and turns out to be some number to British Colubia...whoever these ppl are need to quit because they swear ppl like us aint going to investigate any of this before believing any of it!!!!!!

some guy named "tyler calls from this number..not suer who he is.

yeah I recieved the same sweepstake winnings but at $380,000 and they gave me a advance check of 7,100 dollars for any bill I may need to pay. I called them but no answer so I figured it was a prank. When I called the voicemail said "the customer you're trying to reach is unavaliable" then I found out it wasn't a real thing. I was told to conact MR Gary Owens and there is no name ever found under him. It is a scam so becareful if you recieve it from Llyod Branson Law Firm Associate and Seepstake Inc. I typed it in and it brought me here. If I didn't read what you guys posted I would have gotten in trouble also. Thank You Everyone!!

I recieved a letter today from TELLUS Communications Company and inside was a letter from LLoyd Branson Law Firm Associate & Sweepstake Inc. stating that I won $380,000 only it wasnt an Australian Sweepstakes it was just an annual sweepstakes survey that i entered earlier in the year...and of course there was an advanced check for $7100.00 to cover legal costs... and ur supposed to ask for a Mr Kerry Jackson once u cash the check.... I just found it a little odd that the envelope was from Tellus Communications, the letter from Lloyd Branson and the actual check was from a Wholistic Services Inc who I called and they said they were not affiliated with a sweepstakes at all... I took the check to the bank to have it verified and of course it was a fraud... the phone numbers been changed to 778-863-3265 and 778-889-4648... Hope this helps anyone else who runs into this scam.

Giving The Bounce To Counterfeit Check Scams

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/articles/naps29.pdf

FYI  - THE MYSTERY SHOPPING SCAMS USE THE SAME COUNTERFEIT CHECKS!

Well, I am glad for the internet at times like these.  I recieved the same letter as everyone here.  I called the guy and told him I found inconsistencies on the check.  He seemed surprised and will probably not call me back.  Thank God I didn't give him any personal phone numbers!!  This is definitely a scam and I hope that people do their research before getting involved with this. Also the gentleman's name with whom I spoke with was Charles Bruno.  He kept trying to reassure me it was legitimate.

I did not get a call but I did receive the letter from Lloyd Branson & Assoc. stating that I am a winner in the Australian Sweepstakes and the amount of the pay out is $273,000. Enclosed with the letter is a cashiers check from Banner Bank in Walla Walla, WA. for the amount of $7,250.44. I knew it had to be a scam because who in their right mind sends a cashiers check for over $7k regular mail?? I did call the # listed (778) 245 3669 and I blocked my #. I got a vm of a guy who has a very heavy accent. I am going to report them to the proper authorities. These SOB's must be caught. Times are tuff enough without having to deal with phony cowards trying to rip off honest hard working people who are just getting by on ramon noodles & pbj. Thanks to all of you who have posted on here!

once you contact them they will tell you to deposit the check and to send them a processing fee in advance before the check clears.Obviously DO NOT DO THAT . their scam is to get that processing fee and after that they will dissapear since those phone numbers they gave you are all prepaid cell phones which can not be traced back,,...so do not send them anything.

Since the check was from Chase and that is my bank I took it there and they checked it out, it is a scam and I will take them the letter so they can give it to their fraud department.

wow I recieved the same information, that is crazy that people will scam us the way we all are scruggling out here.

I also received this letter with check of 7,250.44 toward the payout of 273,000.00 cash award.  I haven't pursued or called on it yet. Checked here first thinking it was surely a scam.  What do they want and what happens when you call?

CALLED MR. RICHARDSON AND HE TRIED TO GET ME TO GIVE HIM THE CHECK NUMBER SO THAT HE COULD ACTIVATE THE CASHIERS CHECK, AND I NEED TO TAKE IT TO THE BANK RIGHT AWAY AND THEN GO AND PAY THE FEES AND THEN UPS WOULD BE SENDING ME 40,000.00. I DIDNT GIVE HIM THE CHECK NUMBER SO THAT I COULD TAKE IT TO THE BANK AND CASH IT BUT I LOOKED ON HERE AND SAW THAT IT WAS A SCAM.

This phone number is affiliated with an 'advance fee lottery' scam.  The company name is; Lloyd Branson & Associates Suite 1120-336 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC V3X 3K6.  The potential victim is sent a letter from B. Mainsworth Richardson (Attorney) informing him that he is a winner of the Australian Sweepstakes in the amount of $312,000.  Enclosed with the letter is a check to pay the legal, insurance premium, and processing fees on the purported winnings, in the amount of $6,800.92 (counterfeit).  This is a SCAM.