Received a letter 125,000.00. Enclosed is a US 998.00.  Payable to your assigned tax agent by Moneygramor Western Union.  I waiting to see if it clears.  I had to call this number so they clear the check.

My parents received a letter and check from the Care at Home Diocese of Brooklyn, with the check being from JP Morgan Chase Bank in NYC.  The contact person was Tony Hayes, with the "tax agent" being Debra Anderson, with the phone number 778-907-4700.  The letter claimed that my parents had won $320, 000, and the check was in the amount of $3200.  I figured it was a scam, and after reading this blog, have come the conclusion that it definitely was.  The letter was out of Toronto Canada and the 778 area code is from British Columbia Canada.  Don't fall for this ridiculous scam.  I am calling JP Morgan Bank as well as Care at Home Diocese to warn them of the scam.  Thank you to everyone who posted their stories, as your individual accounts will help unsuspecting people not to fall for this horrible scam.

My father-in-law got the same letter earlier this week.  They are now using the phone number 778-892-4877.  The letter was from Alliance Financial Group and the check was from All Seasons Protection Services, Inc. on a JPMorgan Chase Bank account.  It all looked really legitimate.  No typos or anything in the letter.  The letter refers to "Consumer Promotion Drawing & Smartedge Sweepstakes".  Says the contest was organized for all taxpayers/households, telephone subscribers, auto buyers and customers of the participating retail stores in the United States, UK and Canada, for the promotion of families and customers well-being which was held on the 14th date of May, 2010 under the auspices of Games and Gaming Association.  The claim agent is Mary Anderson and the tax agent is Al Wilson.  My father-in-law is always entering some sweepstakes or other, so....But because the letter and check were from two different places and because the letter said all taypayer, etc. I was doubtful.  We had decided to take it to his lawyer.  In the meantime I started searching on line looking up the businesses, the phone numbers, etc.  By the way the phone turned out to be a cell phone in British Columbia.  Thanks to the help of the internet, this site and others like it, I was quickly able to determine it was a FRAUD!  I would like to know who I should turn this over to.

The check my father received was from New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation. The check appears real and the corp is run by the city of New York. Even the address is that of a hospital.

Thanks Suzan for taking the time to investigate this.  I too received the exact letter saying my winnings were $155,000 and the tax amount was $3,870.40,  I too was suspicious so decided to check the Internet to see if there were any postings out there regarding this obvious scam.

These crooks need to be stopped and if we all band together and turn them in, maybe something can be done.

I received the letter from "alliance Financial Group ..from the Consumer Protection Department..strangely enought the return addresses are NY and Nova Scotia, but the area code of 778 is Vancouver..doesnt add up!! my winnings were $155.000.00 with a check for $3,b70.40 to pay a tax bill of $2,970.00. I suppose they would say that since the enclosed check is for more than the tax amt I would need to refund the difference..hmmm//my tax agent was Al Wilson  the "assigned claims agent Steve Harmon @ 1-778 2235910.  Tomorrow I will take this correspondence to the post office, maybe they can do something with "postal fraud"..I certainly hope no one has fallen for this, but some people MUST otherwise they wouldnt keep on with the mailings!

Thank you all of you that send these reports. I received one of these checks. Yes I want to believe that it was real, I am struggling financially right now that would have been nice.

Mom just received $3870.40 from Alliance financial group, with pretty much the same info as the above.  Contact was Debra Jones 778-223-1250 with a tax agent of Al Wilson.

Some obvious things first off:
1) the business name on the check says "Fairfield Inn New York", which doesn't even match Alliance Financial Group Inc.
2) Any government tax on $155,000 is going to far exceed $2870.00
3) What company or person is going to give a large winning to anybody so indirectly as the US Mail... likely would be a phone call, or in person.

Thanks to google we were able to verify this scam without even wasting our time.

Yep, I just recieved one of these $3980.70. Says I won a readers digest drawing. This check sure looks real though. Would have been nice though.

I am so glad I didn't bother thinking this could possibly be real.  I get magazines, but really, $155,000 for gettin a few mags a month!?  I am glad that others have posted on here to alarm others of this scam and hopefully noone will proceed with the mail they got.  I plan to contact the IRS and whoever else I can dig up that can help put a stop to this.
When addresses don't match up and they don't even give you a 1-800/1-888 number to call, there is obviously something wrong.  Plus the Alliance Financial group website has a different logo than the one on the letter.  There are 3 pages of "Debra Jones" on the internet white pages for New York City alone!

I received the same letter from ALLIANCE FINANCIAL GROUP. Div. of Publishers Clearing House.  Since I had entered Publishers Clearing House Contests  for years and years in the past I thought at first this was legit. but after careful research we realized it was indeed a scam.  I, too was asked to deposit the check for 2,930.50 and Debra Jones requested I money gram 2,620.50 to a David Jones in London England.   Also, post marked out of Canada.  DO NOT DO THIS...IT IS DEFINITELY A SCAM!!!  I think Debra Jones should be arrested, tied and horsewhipped because this scam is extremely easy to fall for and preys on peoples emotions and need for money in these hard times.  Thank God in Heaven I did not fall for this SCAM.

I RCVD. A LETTER FROM ALLIANCE FINANCIAL GROOUP (A DIV. PUBLISHERS CLEARING HOUSE, NEW YORY NY 10005)- THE CHECK WAS WRITTEN OFF OF (QUEENS CENTERS FOR PROGRESS JAMAICA, NY 11432)- THE ENVELOPE POSTMARKED OUT OF CANADA & RETURN ADDRESS CANADA......ALRM,ALRM!!! NOTHING MATCHES & MY HUSBAND NOTICED ALL THE TYPOS! THE LETTER ITSELF WASN'T A FORMAL ENOUGH LETTER (Alliance financial group Inc)-where is the capitol F in financial, G in group the Group, Inc. - If these people don't think enough of thier company to write it properly, that there is enough to show they are not legitimet!

I have to admit, I did call DEBRA JONES @ 1-778-316-2215.  She asked my name, check number, and told me to go deposit the check.  She advised me I was a winner of $155,000 and that the CHECK FOR $2,9350.00 WAS FOR GOVERMENT SERVICE TAX (GST). I WAS TO DEPOSIT THE CHECK AND CALL HER BACK!

Fortunately, I called my attorney first, whom informed me that this is a hoax.  Thank the dear Lord!  I am grateful that I wasn't scammed and that my account wasn't affected.  I am going to call my local news channel and report them.  Hopefully, I will get some satisfaction from knowing someone is working on ending this CRIME...MS. DEBRA JONES SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF HERSELF.  IT IS CHRISTMAS!  WE ARE ALL HURTING FINANCIALLY!  I AM ANGRY AND HURT THAT PEOPLE GET AWAY WITH PLAYING WITH PEOPLE'S EMOTIONS LIKE THIS. IT IS ENOUGH TO GIVE YOU A HEART ATTACK!

My mother was one of the many people being scamed by these thugs...She recevied a letter in the mail stating she won $155,000 in prize money, with a $2620.50 check inclosed .. ms debra jones was the ladys name. The first call to ms.jones she sounded to be a black lady. The seconed ms. jones at the same number 778 316 2215 was not a black woman but still made her case that the check was real and not a fake as the bank found it to be.

YES WE GOT THE SAME LETTER , WIFE CALLED THE NUMBER .  BUT AFTER LOOKING OVER THE LETTER AND SEEING WHERE IT CAME FROM , WE DID NOT GO ANY FATHER WITH IT .

I CONCUR. I TOO RECEIVED A LETTER SAYING THAT I HAD WON A SWEEPSTAKES TO THE TUNE OF 125,000.00. THEY INCLUDED A CHECK FOR 1,998.00 ALSO. THE CHECK WAS FROM MASPETH SUPPLY CO LLC. OUT OF MASPETH NY AND THE BANK IS JPMORGAN CHASE BANK NEW YORK NY. THE COMPANY CLAIMING THAT I HAD WON WAS FROM ALLIANCE FINANCIAL GROUP  A DIV OF PUBLISHERS CLEARING HOUSE. I DID CONTACT PUBLISHERS AND THE LADY I SPOKE TO TOOK DOWN ALL THE INFO. I ALSO EMAILED FRAUD ALERT AND TOLD THEM ALSO. IN THE LETTER THEY MENTIONED AMERICAN FAMILY PUBLISHING, READERS DIGEST, ENERGY AND TELEPHONE. I WILL BE CONTACTING THESE FOLKS ALSO.

This is an old scam that is rearing its ugly head again.  The letter is from Alliance Financial Group out of NY, (formerly Alliance Financial Services, etc).  It indicates that they want to inform you that you are a winner of a sweepstakes.  They enclose a check in the amount of $1,998 or whatever the amount, to help you pay the Government Service Tax.  They want you to call Debra Jones at the above phone number to start your claim.  Tax agent is listed as Mawatt Deval, (come on!) and oh by the way....after you deposit the check into your account, they want you to send the money to one of their representatives.  So when you do send the money, FROM YOUR ACCOUNT, guess what...a couple of days later the bank notifies you that that check was from a closed account, and the check was counterfeit.  Now you have to pay the bank back the money.  DON'T FALL FOR THIS SCAM!  First of all....if you don't remember entering the UNNAMED sweepstakes..then you DIDN'T.  No one is going to give you money for free.  Secondly, the banks no longer hold the checks that are deposited into your account.  They automatically credit the amount to your account, to be more customer friendly.  So don't think that just because your bank took the check that it is a valid check.  If you didn't earn it, or enter the contest, it isn't real.  Period.  This type of crime needs to stop.  Don't enable the criminals.  By the way....."mmmm" you are going to be one of those people who will send the money and then want the police to do something about it. GOOD LUCK!   Deposting that check was not only the WRONGg thing to do, but you just deposited a counterfeit check.  mmmmmm........think about it.  If you didn't participate in this UNNAMED sweepstakes, then you didn't win free money buddy.

I can't believe any of you are stupid enough to deposit these checks or even to have the smallest notion that they might be real. Must be cold living in a cave where you never hear about an obvious scam that is all over the news.

Got a simular letter but for a winnings of 125,000.00 Check was from Wells Fargo for 998.00 Still researching and will be calling Wells Fargo to verify check.

Received bogus check for $3750 US. Won $250,000 American family publishing sweepstakes. Letter head says Principal Financial Group.  Letter is addressed to my wife.  Contact name is Barbara Jones.  

The only organization that has (or had) my wife's name listed the way it is on the letter (incorrectly) is none other than the Department of Homeland Security (Immigration).  Since she does not have any credit cards, has never had any type of utility bill, has never worked, and has never used that name for ANY reason, it is logical to assume they got her name from Uncle Sam.  That might be the reason the FBI (and others) "investigating" never seem to find the scammers.  

If it had come addressed to me, I might never have thought that it was anything other than foreign scammers (like the ones from Jamaica who keep calling me.)  But considering that the government is in bed with the banks in so many ways, it is not a stretch to imagine that the banks are using this method to pad their "losses" by refunding money to customers that have used their credit cards to pay for the fake fees.  At the same time, the government is bailing out the banks to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars from the taxpayers.  

Just a thought.