Astute man not duped by lottery check scam

Sept. 28, 2006
By JOSEPH M. DELEON News-Post Staff
jdeleon@fredericknewspost.com

  FREDERICK — When a cashier's check for $4,325.65 arrived in the mail, it got Charles Dwyer's attention.
     As he read the accompanying letter, which told him he'd won a lottery jackpot worth more than $250,000, he grew suspicious — he'd never bought a ticket for the prize.
     The fake jackpot was part of an advance fee scam that attempts to trick people into transferring money into a stranger's account.
     Scam artists mail a fraudulent check for several thousand dollars, claiming it covers the expenses associated with accepting a winning ticket.
     The targeted person is instructed to deposit the check and transfer the money electronically to another bank account. The lottery prize never appears, and victims have to cover the transferred funds with their own money.
     “I'm no youngster, but I want to get the word out to older folks,” the 68-year-old Mr. Dwyer said Tuesday. “I'm afraid people older than me who get this are going to be out of that money.”
     Edwin Lugo, special agent in charge of the Baltimore field office of the U.S. Secret Service, said his office is investigating similar scams, but declined to comment about how widespread the scams are in Frederick County.
     “This person was quick enough to notice there was something very suspicious about receiving a congratulatory letter and check,” he said. “With simple reviewing on his part, he could ascertain this was a bad deal.”
     Mr. Dwyer was tipped off by the first sentence — the lottery drawing was dated more than a year ago and several words were misspelled.
     He took the check to Farmers and Mechanics Bank, where he has an account.
     A bank teller discovered the phone number and address printed on the check did not match Country Federal Credit Union in Macclenny, Fla., — the institution that supposedly issued the check. The routing number on the check belonged to a bank in Maine.
     “To me, a cashier's check tells me it's legit, it's been paid for,” Mr. Dwyer said. “I'd like to see them get nailed, find out how many people they did this to.”
     Another clue came from the letter. The phone number printed on the letterhead is in Ontario, Canada.
     The Secret Service collected the check from Mr. Dwyer on Wednesday as evidence for their investigation of a Canadian scam ring.
     Mr. Lugo suggested people who suspect they are a target or victim of fraud or a scam to review the Federal Trade Commission Web site, www . ftc . gov .
     “The FTC keeps tremendous records on crimes of this nature and scams,” he said. “But the one thing is to do exactly what this gentleman did — to be aware and suspect something was wrong.”