It’s a variation of an old scam, but one that Sheriff’s Department investigators say they haven’t seen before. A Twentynine Palms man said he received a letter informing him that he has won a $250,000 lottery, along with a check for more than $4,700. Managing editor Tami Roleff fills in the details of this scam…
There were too many red flags in the letter and check that Michael Billings said he received notifying him that he had won the lottery. Billings said he often enters lotteries, and at first thought he really was a winner. But when he went to his bank to cash a check for $4,750.13—sent as an advance payment for taxes and insurance—his bank advised him not to deposit the check and urged him to contact the Sheriff’s Department. The letter came in an envelope without a return address, the letterhead for Paradox Financial Ltd., doesn’t match any of the names mentioned in the letter as sponsoring the lottery (America Mega Lottery Sweepstakes raffle, Allied Finacial Clearing Services, Multi-State Gaming Association, Patrick Boyko, Jeremy Beaver), and Billings was directed to send a copy of his deposit slip as confirmation, all red flags. If you receive a similar letter, throw it away. Remember, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is a scam.
TWENTYNINE PALMS MAN TARGET OF LOTTERY SCAM
