Good idea to take the cheque your bank so they can give to fraud department

Just got one myself.  Happy that I'm not a very trusting person, because there is no way in this world I would have cashed the check.  Just isn't exactly likely a check for almost $5000 falls from the sky after doing absolutely nothing to acquire it.  I think it makes this just that much more obvious that the government is doing nothing to prevent this scam being that your posts are from 2008 and we are now almost at 2011.

Canadian cheques (or checks if you want the US spelling) have the cheque number first.

Cheque Number, transit number-bank number, account number.  The format is different from US checks, in the the transit number is 5 digits then a dash and the 3 digit financial institution number.  

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:CanadianChequeSample.png

is there something i can do if i have already deposite the check.

Same players, different names.  My letter was from Trustnet, head office in Utah with a Vancouver area code.  Hmmmmmmmmm...  Not a good start.  Seems I won 50 grand in a "Consumer Promotion Sweepstakes" for customers of Wal-Mart, Sears, Home Depot and Safeway in the U.S. and the U.K.  Well, I have shopped at one or more of those stores in the past, but then so has everyone else.

They enclosed a check, drawn on the Wells Fargo account of LandAmerica Austin Title Company.  The check was bogus looking.  When you figure out the convoluted cover letter, it seems they want me to cash the check and send most of it by Western Union to a "tax agent" in London, but first to call my "claim agent" in the U.S., Steve Brown, at 778-861-5578, a number located in Vancouver, Canada.

So I suppose they expect me to cash their fraudulent check and send the money to them because I believe this shaggy-dog story of my winning a sweepstakes, so they can have the money wired to them while I face bank fraud charges at home.

No, thanks.

got a letter too!!! same name steve brown different phone number & different tax agent!! Im glad I had the smarts to take EVERYTHING to my bank before cashing I bank @ a goverment bank so they knew right away!! Im also planning on turning mine over to FBI....He was going to take money away from a single mother we live in a trailor drive a vehichle on its last leg & scrape by as it is & thinga keep gettin harder & harder these days!! I hope this **#@!! gets what he deserves!! called him after leaving bank told him what they said can you believe he got loud & rude with me asked me if I showed them letter when I said of course asked me "can you not follow simple insrtuctions" "told you to leave letter @ home to show no one for security purposes" one phone call had accent & the other it seemed to disappear then 3rd call cause i was pissed about how he spoke to me & hung up on me CAN YOU BELIEVE IT the accent was back!!! GET A ##@**!! JOB like everyone else earn your money instead of stealing it from hard working people you LAZY SON OF A $$@#*!!!!!!

after copying the check i figured out how they work to scam you heres a picture of the both of them you can figure out how it works after reading the document and check info k

here: http://i41.tinypic.com/2v3ocjc.jpg

I recieved a document in the mail. and posted here for everyone to see the new fruad going around



here:http://i44.tinypic.com/2nth2kl.jpg



and a check with the following document above

here:http://i40.tinypic.com/i5qefs.jpg

I just got a check from Apex Distributors Inc.  The address I typed up on google and it was for a comunity collage.  The chence was for 4997.00 and it was for taxes to be paid through money gram to a Steve Brown with this phone number.  It states that I won 250,000 dollars and this is my help with the tax payment.  I knew this was a fraud from the start.  I am glad I looked up the information and found this website.  I am going to report this to the FBI or local police.

I am curious to know what happened when this check was deposited.  I had a customer today trying to cash a similar check with all of the information noted in your email.  I did not cash the check and I told the customer that it was a possible scam but she called the number on the letter and was told to cash the check.

The same letter but different phone number 778-865-6055
The guy who answered me with heavy tick accent warning me do not show this letter to my bank because I going to pay more taxes lol lol
He still waiting for my phone call.I did not deposit this check

Don't cash you can get in trouble and you bank account they can close it like they did mine. Even though I was going to close my account because i was in the red already, I wanted to see if the check was good, and it wasn't, so when I deposite the check into my account 2 days later I called my bank and I had to talk to an angent, and they told me that the check was no good and they close my account. So don't cash it or deposite the check to your account ok.

I recieved a check for $4997.00 from G&F Financial Group stating I won $250K and I call and spoke to a man by the name of Steve Brown. And he told me to deposite the check, even though I was going to close my checking account because I was in the red already, I decided to deposite the check to see what would happen, well I called the bank to see if the check cleared and funny enough the check was no good and they close my account. Wish is ok because like I said I was going to close the acoount any way. But the point is that if any one reciceve a check like that just throw it away because it is no good. So please be aware of the scams that is going on around the world, because of the economy people are trying to do waht ever it takes to get money.

I got the same letter and check in the mail today.  From G&F Financial Group  56 Imperial Street  Victoria, BC V3L Y4Z  Canada  
tEL: 1-778-885-8755

Name  Steve Brown

Promotion Manager  Frances. N. Ford

Tax Agent  Catheryne Heuge
          276 Revenue Square
          St. John NB Canada

Check info is  Cauley Ferrari Maserati
              7070 Orchard Lake Rd
              West Bloomfield, MI 48322

Comerica Bank


another sign I think says it is fake is the check number that is printed at the bottom of the check is printed before the routing number instead of after the account number like it is on all of the checks I am use to seeing.

I got a similar letter with a check for 4997.00. what happened when you deposited it into your bank? I want to know if I can cash it or not?

i received a letter from G&L financial Group 56 imperial street victoria, bc v3l y4z tel:1-778-885-8755 stating that i had won $250.000.00, and a check for 4997.00. also from a Steve Brown. And the Tax Agent is a Catheryne Heuge 276 revenue square st.john nb canada. doesn't even have a postal code. It also states that the tax amount is 4200.00, and a person named Frances. N. Ford (Promotions Manager)signed it with a stamp approved and final notice.
         My question is: What happens if you cash the check at a check cashing place? Is it cashable? What would happen to me if i cashed it?

I received the same letter after G&F sent me one email after the other and I refused to open/reply to it.  They said I won $450,000, sent me the most ridiculous "check" on a Wellsfargo, NA account for $4,950 and wanted me to send them over $3400 in a moneygram.  The letter's grammar and spelling "price" instead of "prize", plus it being printed on a piece of copy paper with no legitimate letterhead; the fact there is no "American family publishing house" sweepstakes, etc., is laughable.  I am turning this over to the Post Office Inspector, Wells Fargo, the FBI, the local police, and the Canadian government.  Now I feel better.

didn't get a call but received a letter from g&f financial group victoria, cananda with the steve brown claims agent. the check was in the amount of $4,980 to help with the "tax bill" of $3990.  i haven't cashed it, i am going to the fbi and hope these crooks get nailed... and i am grateful for your website and the info that i found there.

I received a letter from The Clearing House 2460 Bloor Street Tornoto Canada.  I only supposely won $100,000 because 4 other people also won the $500,000 grand prize and it had to be splt 4 ways.  It was odd that the taxes were $3800, but the check was for $4800.  

What raise a red flag was the check was gray, but the top of the check said "The face of this document has colored background on white paper."  This was copied check. I looked up the company on the check online.  Rs Eden is a treatment center for substance abuse. I doubt a treatment center is doing lotteries.  I did not even enter this lottery.  It would have been nice to have that money.

No call but . . . Received a second "Final Notice" letter from G & F Financial Group today with a check drawn against a Spherion located in Indianapolis, Indiana.  After contacting a K. Wilson of Spherion, I was assured that they had no part of this and that they had initiated legal action against an accused perpetrator.  I was asked to fax a copy of the bogus check to them, which I did, and they suggested that I contact the local authorities and the Post Master regarding these fraudulent solicitations.  Apparently the way it works is that when you try to deposit the check you received into your bank account, a hold is placed on that account until the check clears.  In the meantime, you have mailed a check from your account to the solicitor to cover the taxes on your super good fortune, the winnings.  Now they cash your check, you are out whatever amount that might be and of course their check never does clear because it was drawn on a fictitious account to start with and you never see the promised $250,000.00 Grand Prize.  You not only get hooked for the check you write to pay the taxes but now the scammers have your real account number, your real bank and branch and your name to link up to it.

As the old expression goes, if it sounds to good to be true, it probably is, so BEWARE, there are allot of crooks out there that would rather steal your hard earned money than work for their own! ! !

HI,

No call but I received a letter from G & F Financial Group 56 Imperial Street, Victoria, BC V3L Y4Z Canada.  Tel: November 1-778-320-6577.  It came with a Bank Check Colonial Bank, N.A. in the amount of $4,980.00. The name on the check is HOGSKIN ENTERPRISES LLC. 66 Preston Road, Frisco, TX 75034.  The check is dated December 9, 2008.  After my initial investigation I feel sure that this is a scam and agree with others that everyone should send the letters and the checks to the FBI and US Postmaster General's Office so that they can investigate the matter as my opinion is that this constitutes mail fraud.

V.S.

If someone cashed it, I really wish you luck. The FBI agent said that you send them the $3,990 and then think you have money to spend yourself. What usually ends up happening he said is that you end up with a $5,000 overdraft. So, if you cashed it, please do not send them a check or spend any of it. Good luck.

Same thing here in Edison N.J.  Same letter, same amounts.  I'm sending mine onto the postmaster.  If you've cashed it, I hope they don't take advantage of the information they can collect from this type of transaction.  As it is, your life history is practically out there already.  Maybe it's time for "Life Lock", that personal identity theft prevention sevrice that's currently available.

I received a letter today from G&F Financial with a check for $4,998, with basically the same information everyone else has stated. I reported it on the FBI website and they called me within five minutes statin that it is a scam and to through both the letter and check away. Good luck if you cashed it. I am so glad I listened to my gut and looked it up on the internet and saw these messages and reported it.

Received a check for $4300.00 for winnings of $350k.  It says to send the tax payment to MELINDA CULVERT 1604 AIRPORT RD. ST. JOHN, CANADA! GOVERNMENT SERVICE TAX.

I CALLED THE 877-316-2216 MICHAEL SMITH - (how common w/an accent)

The check was deposited today in my local bank - I'll let yall know what happens in 7 days!

My elderly father got this same scenario....he is adament that is ligit!!  I knew differently...call to please him...the guy , Steve, laughed after I asked him if he was the guy giving away the money..he then hung up.  Pass the word...a scam...I'm in the process of reporting it to the Postoffice.

I received a check and a letter stating i won a swepstakes is this a scam

We just got the same letter and it looks to be some type of mail scam. They claim we won $250K and enclosed a check for $4,998.00. Even though the check looks real there are missing components. Try cashing and they have your account number and signature. We are going to turn it over to the District Attorney and Postal Service. Hopefully others will research before they try to cash! Beware!!

I received a letter today from C.C.B. Financial Services, Inc. my check was Wells Fargo Bank, NA for $4,620.00 based on $250,000.00 tax amount of $3,760.00. just from the envelope alone one can tell it's fraud. I'm not sure who to report it to. I hate to think about an older couple or anybody for that matter, fallen for this and losing everything before they realized it.

I just heard back from my brother and he said that the account is frozen which most likely means fraud. When I first got this I knew there was no way I would let this check touch my bank with a 30 foot pole and I'd recommend the same for anyone else who gets it. Like someone earlier said, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is