The Hubbard County Sheriff's Office is warning residents of a sweepstakes scam several recipients have brought to their attention.
"This scam seems to be the hot item now," said chief deputy Frank Homer.
The papers are sent by mail, offering a chance to win $1,432,000 if the recipient sends in a $19.99 "report fee."
Homer said one way to look at the "offer," is from the scammers' point of view. "If you send out 500,000 notices and half the recipients send you $20, you have just made $5 million."
The latest scam mentions the recipient's name 19 times, Homer points out, making it appear to be personalized. Home said he hopes people understand how easy it is to personalize such a letter on a computer.
ADVERTISEMENT
The documents also bear an official looking seal, a bar code indicating it is an ID unique to the recipient. The papers also show a deadline for completing the entry and sending in your money.
The promise is that the $19.99 will "guarantee your standing in this matter."
"This notice shows no affiliation with anyone," Homer said, explaining the closest it comes is indicating you are paying to be eligible for notices of other sweepstakes and prize offers.
"When one resident returned the offer saying they could take his $19.99 out of his winnings, they actually replied that he would have to send in his money," Homer said.
"These people prey on the elderly and others who are trusting and therefore vulnerable," said sheriff Gary Mills.
Mills said he investigated a scam that resulted in an individual being charged. He was operating out of a motel room in Texas, Mills said.
Often, Homer added, scammers use a return address that's a post office box or suite number since it could be just a post office box. That's because they are renting a place and move on if they think authorities are looking for them. Phone numbers that are given also are usually false, although sometimes scammers will make sure someone answers so they can convince people to participate.
Law enforcement officers urge people to be wary of offers that sound too good to be true. Scams come through the mail and via telemarketers.
ADVERTISEMENT
What's worse nowadays, Homer and Mills said, is they aren't just hoping to get your money, if they can get your credit card, bank account number or other personal information, they can use the data to make purchases using your credit card information or take money from your bank account.
If residents are unsure about such an offer, Mills and Homer urge them to contact the sheriff's office or police or the Better Business Bureau toll free at 888-646-6222 or at www.bbb.org . The Minnesota Attorney General's office also handles complaints toll free at 800-657-3787 or at www.ag.state.mn.us .
Homer said that Western Union also is good at helping its customers who have been caught up in a scam.
The sheriff's office also has a brochure on Cons & Scams that lists many ways con artists try to part you and your money. According to the brochure, telemarketing phone scams bring in $40 billion a year and 75 percent of the victims are senior adults.
