Legal Question in International Law in California

''am I the victim of a lottery scam?''

I received a check in the mail, payable to me, in the amount of 3,200 USD, with which to pay the taxes involved in my total award of 50,000 USD, according to the letter that came with it, complete with a claims agent contact and my own reference number; also says that there is an international law that prevents winners from paying with their own money, so ''here's 3,200 to pay the taxes on your prize, which has been insured''. The deadline to claim the prize is Nov. 22nd, 2006. Supposedly I have won through an international lottery sponsored by PCH, Reader's Digest, Lotto, etc. Well, the bank (Wells Fargo)took my check from me on the grounds that the offer is ''probably'' fake, even though the check is definitely legit. Can they do this?

Also, the letter states Colina Financial at the top, with their corporate office address in Nassau. They sent me a check through Northern Trust in Chicago, Il. With the deadline approaching, I just need to know if I have been a lotto scam victim, or is this real? How can I know for sure?

The bank didn't know for sure, yet took the check anyways. I have a photo copy of all documents for your reference. Please help! Thank you.


Asked on 11/19/06, 12:46 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Bryan Becker Stutz Artiano Shinoff & Holtz

Re: ''am I the victim of a lottery scam?''

I am afraid that you may have been the target of an identity theft scam. Take a look at the following web page and see if what they describe, sounds like what you received. I would recommend returning to Wells Fargo ASAP to explain to them that the check is most likely fraudulent, and you would like Wells Fargo to stop processing the check, immediately.

http://idtheft.about.com/od/scamsandconsumeralerts/p/Lotto_scam.htm

Good luck to you-

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Answered on 11/19/06, 1:04 pm


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