Atlantic Lottery Corporation

[know06]

To all:

I want to share this unfortunate event on how I have been scammed. :mad: Hopefully this will avoid more people from being scammed thi sway. I am usually very suspicious of Nigerian scams or lottery winning letters. I always discard them.

But I recentely received one that came with a check for $4850 with my name on it and a letter stating that I won $240000 and i had to call a certain number to talk to Mr Stanley Williams. After talking to this guy, he told me to deposit the check in the bank and send to David Orverlayliving at 2589 Main Street, Winnipeg, Canada R6C2N5 $2750 for tax before the money can be sent my way. The next day my bank credited my account with $4850, I withdrew $2750 and sent th emoney by Western Union with th etransfer fees.
A couple of hours later that Stanley guy called to say that I needed to pay the State tax ($1860) before th emoney can be sent my way whihc I did. Now with the transfer fees I was scammed $22 dollars. My Stamley will say that the check will come by Fedex the next morning.
At this point I started to realize that something was wrong here, first the strong nigerian accent of this guy and the fraud alert on the Atlantic Lottery Corporation. even Western Union blocked the second transfer until my approval. Mr Stanley told me to tell them to release the funds that I know the receiver and not to tell that it is about lottery. I wish I could have been smarter really. I am an educated person with certifications in IT fields!

Anyway, the day to receive th epackage somebody will call me about 2 hours before the expected delivery date stating that he is from the Canadian Border Customs bla bla. Again with a strong nigerian accent! He said during a random check the package was found and they needed $2351 to release the package. At thi spoint I already knew I was scammed, I asked him if he was canadia, he will say that he was born in Canada and raised in Ireland. I then told him that he is Nigerian and was a scammer and I will report his and his scammers friends to authorities, he will then say that the money will be confiscated and given to charities bla bla bla.

Now I need to talk to the bank and see what they are going to say. The check is for sure a forgery but at first look you can't tell that is why even the bank could not tell.

I am just hoping this will avoid more people to get caught in this new way of scamming unsuspecting people! :(

Anyone's advice at thi spoint that i am in will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[bizopca]

You should check your bank's own liability for posting a fake cheque - was there anything that should have alerted them to the fact the cheque was fake? Did you tell them what the transaction was about? Good luck

[know06]

I reported the incident to the police.
I talked to th ebank manager, he said he is aware of these scams. He calle the Fraud department from th ebank and told me to wait when the check comes back to see what the options are.

In the meantime I want to make public the content of the letter that was sent to me. This way other will avoid this scam. If even law enforcement can follow these people since they have these phone numbers that they are answering:

1-705-770-0824 and 1-877-884-1603

I really wish the authorities will track these criminals down.


The letter goes like this:

==============================

Atlantic Lottery Corporation
P.O. BOX 6505 922 Main Street
Moncton, NB E1C 8W6
Tel: 1-705-770-0824

DATE: 07/19/2006
CLAIM #: ALC/CA-XXXX

AWARD CLAIM FINAL NOTIFICATION

This is to inform you of the official release of the 2006 Promotional Sweepstakes Lottery from ATLANTIC LOTTERY CORPORATION held on MARCH 28th, 2006 in th e2nd category.

A ticket serial numbers FS 000945610987 attached to your name drew the lucky winning numbers

3-9-14-17-29-37-48

We have made many unsuccessful attempts to contact you regarding this winning. You are entitled to the sum of $240,000.00 US dollars. This is from total prize money of $1,440,000.00 US dollars that was shared and presented among 6 declared winners. Please note that all th eparticipants were selected through a random computer ballot system drawn from over 500,000 names.

Your claim number is ALC/CA-XXXX and in accordance with our disbursement policy your prize award money has been forwarded to our clearing/disbursement institution to release your funds to you either by certified check or money order or wire transfer to your designated local bank account which you will provide.

To expedite the processing, enclosed is a check of $4,845 US dollars which has been deducted from your winning.

You will be using some money on this first check to pay for th eapplicable Taxes on your winning ($240,000.00)

The tax amount is USD $2,750.00 (TWO THOUSAND SEVEN HUNDRED FIFTY DOLLARS) to be paid either by WESTERN UNION or MONEYGRAM

Please do not attempt to use this check until you call and speak with the claim agent MR. STANLEY WILLIAMS at 1-705-770-0824 for further clarification and instructions on claiming your winning.

NOTE: If we do not hear from you within a specific period of time, we shall asssume the enclosed check amount as lost and your winning as unclaimed and the check will be cancelled and declared null and void.

(CLAIMS/DISBURSEMENT AGENT) MR. STANLEY WILLIAMS: 1-705-770-0824

Congratulations

Yours Truly


Michael Anderson
(Promotion Manager)

[leela]

Know06, thank you for sharing that painful experience. So many people post on this board that they have received a letter with a cheque - exactly as you did - and want to know if it's a scam. Unfortunately, it's a very common scam and it obviously works better than the usual "winning notification" emails that are sent out, probably because actually having a real cheque in your hand makes it more convincing.

I wish you good luck with the bank and I hope they are sympathetic with you. Please let us know what happens.

You might also like to post your experience on the forum at www.scampatrol.org - this is a website for victims of internet fraud but also of 419 scams in general, of which this is one. Since these type of 419 scams are becoming more common - and more successful - the more people can read about real victims' experiences, the better.

[know06]

Thank you Leela for your reply. It gives me comfort. Again thanks!

[td136]

I am so glad I found this web site. I also received a letter with a check and was going to take it to the bank today, but thought I should look for some info online first. I have received lottery winning emails numerous times in the past, but it does seem more convincing when they actually send you a check. The check appears to be a real check from a real bank. The letter is from Atlantic West Gaming Lotto Claims Dept. and promises that I will receive 50,000 by Fed Ex after I use their check to pay processing fees and international taxes. I am going to call my bank and report this scam. Thank you all so much for posting your experiences. It has saved me much heartache. ;)

[mommabee]

Hello,

I also received the same letter. Unfortunately, in my starry eyed oblivion, I ran to the bank to deposit my $4850 check before it closed for the weekend. Did anyone else deposit their check? What was the outcome? Did it merely bounce? I'm now very worried that I will incur fees from my bank. Or worse, get charged for depositing a fake check. I'm usually very skeptical, but this really seemed genuine. I'm feeling like a fool and would love to hear from anyone else that went ahead and tried to deposit the check.

Thanks for any advice,
B

[leela]

You should report this to the bank as soon as you can. As long as you don't try and draw any money out, you should be okay.

[Copperti]

I got the same scam in the mail with a very authentic looking check in the mail as well. My check was from a company called Air-X-Changers and the letter claimed to be from Atlantic Gaming company who was giving out my "somehow-earned-lotto-winnings." I smelled fraud instantly, but my wife, who is an accountant, confirmed it right away.

The first thing I did was go to the internet and check about the scams. Then I called Atlantic West Gaming and told them about the letter, and I called Air-X-Changers accounting department about it as well; they requested that I send them a fax with the letter and check and then to shred the document. They apoligized and told me that I am definitely not the only one this has happened to and they are trying to get to the bottom of it.

The lady I spoke to at Atlantic West Gaming did have a strange accent. I don't know if that has anything to do with it, after all, I look Arab, but I am from Puerto Rico. I hop no one else gets scammed by this.

[special11]

Thank goodness my bank and I were wary but I have contacted the FBI in Norfolk,VA in and they will be investigating this scam. Hopefully they will be able to apprehend these people. The agent did say they had contacts in Canada. I did notice you had different phone numbers and people than was on my letter.

I get these you have won the lottery usually in the UK or Africa on the internet and those are easy to discard but it is hard to toss $4850 in the trash.

Good luck

[theaud6]

undefined

Originally Posted by mommabee

Hello,

I also received the same letter. Unfortunately, in my starry eyed oblivion, I ran to the bank to deposit my $4850 check before it closed for the weekend. Did anyone else deposit their check? What was the outcome? Did it merely bounce? I'm now very worried that I will incur fees from my bank. Or worse, get charged for depositing a fake check. I'm usually very skeptical, but this really seemed genuine. I'm feeling like a fool and would love to hear from anyone else that went ahead and tried to deposit the check.

Thanks for any advice,
B

I just came from the bank. The bank gave me one week to pay it back. No concern for my situation. Sorry :mad:

[44hoosier]

Thanks to all for posting these unfortunate circumstances. :( I called my bank and they said all the checks they have received have bounced. They said they would be happy to run the check, and we could wait to see what happens. I told them no thank you. I just wanted to make them aware of what I received. I am thankfull for your postings to save me much grief. My wife and I are very skeptical and analytical people, times like this is when it pays off. Best of luck to all!!!


44hoosier :)

[ljdav]

:( I received a letter and check similar to all of you guys today. I knew deep down that this was a fraud but having a son recently diagnosed with cancer (april) I thought our prayers had been answered and our medical bills would finally be taken care of. This isn't only a scam it is just down right EVIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm glad I found this sight....

[rednecktesting]

My husband and I also recieved a letter and check in the mail. We thought at first that it was a scam and then decided to call. The guys name was Austin Bennett and he told us to deposit the check and then send a personal money gram to Pam Willows in the amount of $2,654.00 for processing and international taxes. We were dumb and did this. He then told us that in a few days we would recieve a check for the additional $57,000.00. Instead We got a letter from our bank that the check was stolen or forged and it drained everything we had in our account plus some. We thought that this was a legit thing considering they sent the check to pay for the taxes and stuff and didn't want to know any of our bank account stuff. They have totally ruined our intire life at this point. My husband can't walk do to an injury a year ago so he cant work. We have two kids at home and not sure what we are going to do now. I am really hoping that these scam alerts will get out to people. This is a sad thing in life that happens. :mad: :(

[sgledford]

I would like to thank everyone from scam.com for making all this information known I came home today and my wife was exstatic about a check we received in the mail for 925.00.I have always been somewhat of a sceptic so I began to read the letter attached to the very convincing check that was said to be drawn fron chase bank It was supposably for winning a canadian lottery which I have never played.Immediately I knew it was a fake but my wife was still convinced it was real so I took her to scam.com and showed her the many other victims of this scam,she now is convinced.The funny thing about this is we both work for chase and are going to do everything we can to see that these people get caught,they are just preying on the less fortunate and it sickens me.PLEASE everyone if it seems to good to be true it probably is.Thanks again to everyone that created and supports this site keep up the good work.

[leela]

Glad you found us in time! Well done for being skeptical and checking things out first - I hope you have some success with getting Chase to take some action.

[bmejias]

Last month I too became a victim. I received the exact same letter with those exact same numbers and payments. I deposited the money and sent the taxes to John Bocci. My contact was Ms. Sandra Newton. I went as far as making a large down payment on my dream home which I intended to pay for with my "winnings" but I guess that’s another loss. I cried for days. Fortunately for me, the bank consulted their lawyers and the decided that since I was a victim, I am not responsible to pay it back. I felt so stupid about the whole thing, but I'm over it now.

[tsonger]

undefinedundefined
I received a letter in the mail today with a check for $4845.00 the letter stated I have won $240,000.00 and all I have to do is simply cash the check and western union them back $2750.00. I was skeptical due to the tax amount only being $2750.00 we all know Uncle Sam takes alot more then that. I was also excited, being a single mother of 3 trying to support us on just my salary I thought finally something right has happened and I could finally get a head. Thank you to all who have posted this scam I am very very thankful I searched the internet and found this.

[Cristian]

The National Lottery
P O Box 1010
Manchester, M70 1NM
UNITED KINGDOM
(Customer Services)
Ref: Uk/9420X2/26
Batch: 074/05/ZY369

Dear Winner

We happily announce to you the results of draw of the UK NATIONAL
LOTTERY, Online Sweepstakes International program held on
25TH OCT, 2006. It is yet to be unclaimed and you are getting the FINAL
NOTIFICATION as regards this.

You have therefore been approved to claim a total sum of £1,856,652(One
Million Eight Hundred AND Fifty Six Thousand, Six Hundred and Fifty Two
Pounds Sterling) in cash credited to file KTU/9023118308/03. TThis is
from a total cash prize of £16,533,022 shared amongst the first Nine (9)
lucky winners in this category B.

PROCEDURES FOR CLAIMS NON UK RESIDENT WINNERS ARE HOWEVER REQUESTED TO
CONTACT THE FIDUCIARY AGENT ATTACHED TO
DRAW ASAP UK LOTTERY{CLAIMS DEPT}

FIDUCIARY AGENT:Mr Kings Robert
EMAIL: mr.robert_claimsdept07@yahoo.co.uk
Tel: +44-703-190-855 or+44-703-190-4883
Fax:+447075158287

VERIFICATION FORM
TO AUTHENTICATE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS FROM YOUR WEBMAIL PROVIDER AND
RECORD PURPOSES,WE DO REQUIRE YOU TO SEND
THESE INFORMATION TO US ASAP.

FULL NAME.............................................. .
WINNING E-MAIL ADDRESS......................
FULL ADDRESS:.......................................
SEX:.............................................. ..........
AGE............................................... ........
OCCUPATION........................................
TEL.......................MOBILE.................. ...
COUNTRY........................................... ....

Congratulations once more from all members and staffs of this program.
Thank you for being part of our online promotional lottery program.

Yours Truly,
Mr John Smith
Co-Coordinator (Online Promo Programme).

Hopefully i am a very unlucky person and i said from start it couldnt be real...but in the end i wanted 2 give it a shot.
Stupid me replied back with all the info they required but good thing i saw this Forum or i whould have been scamed out of my money also
:mad:

[liz159]

In my case, it was my dad who received the letter claiming he won. I had my suspicion that it was just too good to be true so i did some research on the company and found my way to this forum, thank goodness i did. Thanks to all your posts i saw that this was all a scam. I wonder though if i should contact someone about the letter so it can be looked into it. Any suggestions/advice would be appreciated.

[leela]

Well done on doing the research!

You can take the letter to your local police and ask their advice, they'll know who, if anyone, to pass it on to.

[Kerk33096]

I just received one of these letters in the mail. At first I was a little skeptical but the check looked so real... but something in my gut told me to look online and find out the "real deal" before I ran to the bank (I think we all wish for money, especially right before Christmas!!). I'm just wondering if anyone actually got to cash it, especially if they have bounce protection. I have friends who work at a bank... I am definitely going to warn them about this!

[Alien8]

:eek:
I received this scam also. The letter was from (so called) Atlantic Lottery, but the check said Recover Care on it out of Olathe KS. The amount I "won" was 262,000.000 US dollars. The check was for 4,922 and i was to deposit it and and pay the taxes in USD of 2,825.00 by Western Union or Moneygram. I called the number and a man with a Haitian accent, maybe Nigerian, picked up the phone and said "Hello" If this was a professional real Corporation they would have answered and identified themselves or the company name. Anyhow I researched online and verified that it really was a scam luckily. I went to the FBI. gov website and found this...........



July 19, 2006 11000 Wilshire Blvd
Los Angeles, Ca 90024
310-996-3804,3343,4402
Fax: 310-996-3345



INTERNATIONAL TASK FORCE WARNS CONSUMERS NOT TO FALL FOR CROSS BORDER LOTTERY AND ADVANCE-FEE SCAMS; VICTIMS SPEAK-OUT
The FBI, in partnership with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, has teamed up to address the growing crime problem of cross border fraud by teaching consumers how to recognize and avoid becoming victimized by telemarketers, spam e-mailers or misleading advertisers. These schemes involve phony prize promotions, foreign lottery schemes, advance-fee loan rip-offs, credit card protection scams, bond schemes and others. The federal government estimates these types of fraud schemes to cost consumers billions of dollars per year in the U.S. and elsewhere.

In recent years, law enforcement investigating cross border fraud has identified the following trends:

Fraudulent telemarketers obtain numerous wire transfer payments by convincing victims to send money to countries all over the world.

Counterfeit checks are mailed to U.S. citizens with instructions that they should deposit the check into their bank account. According to the fraudulent solicitors, the amount of the check is being sent to assist in paying fees or taxes on the lottery winnings. The checks appear, on the surface, to be authentic. In some cases, it may take the bank several days to determine that the check is fraudulent.

J. Stephen Tidwell, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI in Los Angeles stated, "The ease in which scam artists have operated from Canada and abroad has victimized too many unsuspecting U.S. citizens. Law enforcement is addressing this insidious crime through prevention and thorough investigation, in order to fix the growing problem of cross border fraud. The Canadian/U.S. border should not be considered an invisible shield by which fraud is committed, since both countries have committed to protecting their citizens."

The Project Emptor Task Force in British Columbia focuses on cross border scams including lottery sweepstakes scams, bond scams and credit card protection scams. Agencies in Canada and the U.S. include the following:

FBI
United States Attorney's Office
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
United States Postal Inspection Service
Federal Trade Commission
Canadian Border Services Agency
Canadian Competition Bureau
British Columbia Consumer Protection Authority

In recent years, the task force has successfully investigated these matters resulting in forty indictments, thirty two arrests and twenty convictions on charges ranging from wire fraud, mail fraud, mailing materials related to lotteries and telemarketing fraud against the elderly. The arrests have taken place in British Columbia, Alberta, Montreal, Nigeria and the United States. One subject arrested in Nigeria was extradited from Lagos. In addition, the task force works with Canadian civil investigators and Canadian law enforcement utilizing Canadian law to seize telemarketers' assets, including bank accounts, property and luxury vehicles. The Federal Trade Commission works with the Project Emptor Task Force to return to victims the funds seized in Canada and the United States.

"As a result of our vigilant efforts over the past 15 years, we have driven some unscrupulous telemarketers into Canada, where they think they can evade law enforcement," said Debra Wong Yang, United States Attorney in Los Angeles. "But through the cooperative efforts of United States law enforcement, and Canadian authorities, we have apprehended and prosecuted nearly fifty individuals who have preyed on Americans."

"The Royal Canadian Mounted Police in British Columbia recognized the severity of this problem when it formed the Project Emptor task force in 1998," said RCMP Superintendent Gordon McRae, head of the British Columbia's Commercial Crime Section. "Working with our partners in the United States we've developed an effective strategy that uses both criminal and civil processes to target offenders, seize their properties and other assets such as vehicles and boats—no matter where in the world these assets are—and return money to their victims. Financial crimes may not leave a chalk line on the pavement, but they can destroy someone's life, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police take this type of offense very seriously."

"The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is committed to working with the FBI and Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), our law enforcement partners in the fight against cross-border fraud," said acting Inspector in Charge William Atkins, "to protect this nation's citizens from fraudsters operating in foreign countries."

The following Los Angeles victims are representative of the type of cross-border fraud schemes being perpetrated against United States citizens, many of whom are elderly, and attended a press conference to assist law enforcement in its public awareness campaign by telling their stories:

Royal Barnett from La Puente, California, sent $499.00 in response to a Lottery Sweepstakes scam to a Vancouver company, TMS, in 2003. The owner of the company, George Condie, was charged in Los Angeles and arrested in Detroit. Condie was sentenced in October 2005 and is currently serving a 46-month prison sentence.

George Demaree of Granada Hills, California, sent approximately $200,000 in relation to a cross border scam, including a $175,000 wire transfer to Cambodia. In February 2006, Demaree was told he won $13 million from a sweepstakes for which he had to pay taxes in order to receive.

Betty Divall of Los Angeles, California, has been victimized in two cross-border schemes. She began receiving numerous mail solicitations in early 2000 from various foreign lotteries, including Canadian and Australian. Divall sent several hundred thousand dollars to Montreal, British Columbia and the Middle East from 2000 - 2001, in an attempt to obtain lottery winnings for which she would be required to pay taxes, according to the instructions provided to her during the fraudulent scheme. Three individuals who had been residing in Montreal and Vancouver, British Columbia, were arrested based on the task force investigation.

The Project Emptor Task Force recommends the following tips to U.S. citizens who may be targeted for cross-border fraud or advance-fee fraud solicitations.

Be suspicious of any offer that sounds too good to be true.
Fraudulent telemarketers may misrepresent themselves as government officials, law enforcement officers, banking representatives and attorneys, in order to convince a potential victim to send money. In addition, they may also attempt to send documents falsely representing their company or governmental agency.
If you have legitimately won a lottery or sweepstakes prize, you will never have to pay money in advance of receiving your winnings.
Hang up on anyone who solicits your money in advance of awarding a prize.
Never provide personal information over the telephone including your date of birth, social security account number, credit card or bank account information.
Do not attempt to deposit checks sent by companies whose representatives claim the check is being sent to pay fees or taxes on lottery winnings. These checks may appear to be legitimate but they are not. Some of the checks may even be drawn on legitimate accounts and may include actual routing numbers so that they appear to be authentic even when presented for deposit at a bank.
Fraudulent telemarketers will apply high pressure sales techniques by falsely representing that the fees are required immediately in order to obtain the winnings.
Report cross-border or advance-fee scams over the Internet or over the phone to the following:
a. FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center: www.ic3.gov
b. Phonebusters: (888) 495-8501
c. Federal Trade Commission: (877) 382-4357
Visit the following websites for more information and helpful tips:
www.fbi.gov
www.ftc.gov/crossborder




| Press Releases | Los Angeles Home Page |

[fireman1]

I got the same Atlantic Lottery scam in the mail today with a check for $4922.00 to deposit in my account. I felt sceptical about it so decided to do a little research on this to see if it is a scam and it sure sounds like it.

It stated that this is an AWARD CLAIM FINAL NOTIFICATION that I had been one of 6 winners from a total prize of $1,572,000.00 and my part is $262,000.00 all I have to do is call a number and talk to a MRS. SANDRA NEWTON and she would further clarification and instructions of claiming my winnings.

So you will know the number given to call was 1-705-770-2734

Everything in the letter sounds so official even the address is correct of Atlantic Lottery. I just thought I would give this info. so that maybe it may save one other person from falling for this scam.

I want to thank all the listings that I have seen here, it has maybe saved me a lot of problems.

[sdevq]

We just received the same scam in the mail today, a check for $4922 from Atlantic Lottery Corporation. Thanks to everyone for posting on this website, saving me from a heap of trouble!!

My Letter is very similar to firman1's, and goes something like this:

A title "AWARD CLAIM FINAL NOTIFICATION", and that I'm one of 6 winners from a total prize of $1,572,000.00 and that my part is $262,000.00. I'm to call a number and talk to a MR. JASON WILLIAMS at 1-705-770-2735.

I become suspicious when the letter said the tax amount had to be paid by Western Union or Moneygram.

The check seems very authentic, it has a *****mark, and when the check is photocopied the works VOID and FAUX will appear on the photocopy.

[MrGreenjeans]

Originally Posted by sdevq

We just received the same scam in the mail today, a check for $4922 from Atlantic Lottery Corporation. Thanks to everyone for posting on this website, saving me from a heap of trouble!!

My Letter is very similar to firman1's, and goes something like this:

A title "AWARD CLAIM FINAL NOTIFICATION", and that I'm one of 6 winners from a total prize of $1,572,000.00 and that my part is $262,000.00. I'm to call a number and talk to a MR. JASON WILLIAMS at 1-705-770-2735.

I become suspicious when the letter said the tax amount had to be paid by Western Union or Moneygram.

The check seems very authentic, it has a *****mark, and when the check is photocopied the works VOID and FAUX will appear on the photocopy.

Well, well, well guess what?! I just got one today, too. Exactly like sdevq's, a check for $4922 from Atlantic Lottery Corporation. I knew this reeked of SCAM :eek: , but boy how I wanted to believe it! I can see how someone could get duped into believing this, especially if you are just getting by, making ends meet and the money could be the answer to a lot of your problems...... I'm so glad I googled this, but the first couple of links I found on Alantic Lottery Corporation looked legit, the website looks good and they even claim how long they have been in business (30years) and how they give back to the community, so I am not sure if these scammers are using a legitimate company as a veil to hide behind or what, but I am sure glad I scrolled down to the Scam.com link!

Here is how my letter was worded:
The title "AWARD CLAIM FINAL NOTIFICATION", and that I'm one of 6 winners from a total prize of $1,572,000.00 and that my part is $262,000.00 US dollars. I'm to call a number and talk to a MR. JASON WILLIAMS at 1-705-770-2735 before I use the check. Note: If we do not hear from you within a specific period of time, we shall assume the enclosed check amount as lost and winning unclaimed. The check will be cancelled and become null and void.

Everything else was pretty much the same as everyone else's. Thank you so much for saving me this headache! :confused: :mad: I will be using this site in the future I am sure, too! :)

[lindaswindow]

Received same letter today from atlantic lottery corporation except different name & phone # cindy hayes 1-705-770-0325. I knew it was a scam but i called anyway. She told me to deposit the check and then call her back. That's when I came here. I did make a copy of the check as someone else did and they were right. it has faux and void on it. I would like to bring this to the police, but my husband said they can't trace these guys. Is that true?

[lilbit1980916]

Originally Posted by MrGreenjeans

Well, well, well guess what?! I just got one today, too. Exactly like sdevq's, a check for $4922 from Atlantic Lottery Corporation. I knew this reeked of SCAM :eek: , but boy how I wanted to believe it! I can see how someone could get duped into believing this, especially if you are just getting by, making ends meet and the money could be the answer to a lot of your problems...... I'm so glad I googled this, but the first couple of links I found on Alantic Lottery Corporation looked legit, the website looks good and they even claim how long they have been in business (30years) and how they give back to the community, so I am not sure if these scammers are using a legitimate company as a veil to hide behind or what, but I am sure glad I scrolled down to the Scam.com link!

Here is how my letter was worded:
The title "AWARD CLAIM FINAL NOTIFICATION", and that I'm one of 6 winners from a total prize of $1,572,000.00 and that my part is $262,000.00 US dollars. I'm to call a number and talk to a MR. JASON WILLIAMS at 1-705-770-2735 before I use the check. Note: If we do not hear from you within a specific period of time, we shall assume the enclosed check amount as lost and winning unclaimed. The check will be cancelled and become null and void.

Everything else was pretty much the same as everyone else's. Thank you so much for saving me this headache! :confused: :mad: I will be using this site in the future I am sure, too! :)

I have also recieved this letter, and having the luck I have when it comes to games and lotteries it just sounded to good to be true. thank you everyone for posting. I hate to hear everything all of you had to go through, but it is great to know there are people out there that will speak out and not allow this to happen to others. If more people were aware people wouldn't be able to get by with these scams at least that is my thoughts on the matter. I think I will frame my check as a reminder. " If it sounds to good to be true it usually is."

[poorandangry]

Just got the letter today, glad I googled and found this. Spoke to a woman named "Evelyn Richards" at 902-412-9184, but will now take this to police instead of the bank.
From: Atlantic Lottery Corporation PO Box 5500, 922 Main Street Moncton, NB E1C 8W6 (New Brunswick, Canada)
Looked like I was one of the 6 declared winners of $1,572,000.00, just like fireman1! My share was $262,000 and the check was from Suntrust Bank in Ocala, Florida for $4,922. Account number on the check is 063100727, routing number is 0804000050382. On the upper left of the check is ALC Financial Group Inc. 811 NW 27th Ave Ocala, FL 34475. I wonder if there is actually a business there or if it is a boarded up store! Maybe someone in Ocala, FL could check it out.

[nickssister]

I got one of these today. The funny thing is, I'm not even old enough to win the lottery, I don't turn 18 until May. :) My check was for 4,500. Apperantly there was a mix up with some names and numbers, the prize was drawn on the 5th of December, but weren't sent out until Feburary. I thought it was a scam right away since I was told to call Karren or Tony, but neither one of them had last names. These guys seem to have a lot of nice adresses, mine came from 776 Victoria St. Kelowna, BC. N3B 1Xs the phone number was 1 (647) 895-5336. Part of me still hopes it's real dough. *sigh*

[bigbluefan86]

I was scammed today as well. My number to call was 902-412-9183 and I was supposed to talk to a mr. Ray Washington in Moncton, NB. E1C, 8W6. The address was P.O. Box 5500, 922 Main Street. When I called him, his answering machine had a very thick accent. Maybe Nigerian or something. I was supposed to win $272,000 with a check of $4,922.00 to start. I didn't take it to the bank, but the *****mark,fibres, and "original document" text were all there. Also, it said it was to be disbursed through Furlani's Food Corporation. Thank goodness my fiance knew to look it up on the internet. I would have been scammed, hook line and sinker.
What should I do now?
Heather

[leela]

I was scammed today as well

You weren't scammed - you didn't lose any money.
Take the cheque, the envelope it came in and the letter it came with to the police and let them deal with it.

[highwayman57]

My elderly mother received one of these letters today. She was suspicious and called me to get my opinion on it. I googled Atlantic Lottery Corporation and one of the results was this thread. I read though the posts on this thread and advised my mother not to deal with these people and to turn it over to the authorities. Thanks so much for the info on this scam!

[urielspeace]

Just like fireman1 I received the exact same letter. The letter stated December 30th, 2006 in the 2nd category. Serial numbers LFC 00048725926 with winning numbers 2-5-11-18-22-34-47. The sum was $262,000.00usd. with a total of $1,572,000.00usd. to be shared by 6 declared winners. The check was for $4,922usd and I was to wire back $2,825.00usd for taxes. I had a bad feeling that is why I investigated it online. I am happy I did. I am a mother of 3 who needs the money but not at that price. Thankyou for saving my family from a terrible mistake.

The phone numbers were 1-705-770-2734 to call Mrs. Sandra Newton And Richard Sullivan was the promotional manager and the name on the check.

[meemaw372]

IJust got one of those letters that says the samething everyone elses did. I took it to my local police and filed a report. The charge was possesion of a forged insturment. I may be a little childish but I have been calling all the numbers from the different letters and telling them to get a job and leave people alone and telling them that they are poor excuses for human beings. I hope someone can stop them.

[marci2877]

I just received my letter today. I was so excited, I could really use the money, but I was very very skeptical. I checked on the internet and found that it was a scam. I was advised that I needed to call Mr. Ray Washington at 902-412-9183. I did call the number and the gentleman that answered had a very thick accent. The check was in the amount of $4922.00. I needed to the tax amount of $2825.00 and I would receive my $262,000.00. I immediately shredded the check. People are such losers that they get peoples hopes up and then stomp on them.

[amg0701]

I got one of those letters today. And after nearly getting scammed for over 4,000 by a mystery shopping company.Shoppingjobshere.com I had to check this one out when I read the letter. Talk about making a person untrusting. My letter has a different phone number, and doesn't say anything about wire transfers, but I have to call before the 31st of March to claim it or it is null and void. The said thing is, both checks that I have received in the last three weeks, would have covered the downpayment I need for my small house. Now I pray daily that my land lord isn't going to decide to sell it from underneath me and tell me I need to find somewhere else to live asap. I work two jobs to make ends meet, and scams like this just make me want to give up. They get your hopes up only to crush them. :mad: Take care all and watch your backs.

[djs510]

I too just got a letter from:
Atlantic Financial Corporation
Resource Management & Payment Centre
570 Kanata Avenue
Ottawa, Ontario
1-647-722-0027

It says Atlantic Financial in association with Atlantic Lottery Corp. is pleased to inform you of the North America Prize pool ... and that I was one of 20 international winners splitting a $2,500,000.00 cash prize. They said to call a number to talk to a claim agent. When I did, he said to call him back when the check cleared and I would receive the balance of the money minus the taxes and administrative cost. They enclosed a check for $3650.00 to cover taxes and administrative cost. The check was from Wells Fargo Bank supposedly out of New York. I called Wells Fargo Bank and verified that the account number on the check was a valid account, however, the name on the check did not match the name on the account. Having been scammed before by a Nigerian Scam, I knew better than to send any money to anyone without absolutely making sure that the check cleared the bank it was drawn from. Consequently, I waited and the check came back. Now I can contact the proper authorities to try to stop these kind of scams.

[mamabearcmt]

Do not believe anything you read or receive from Atlantic Lottery Corporation!!! I received a letter and very official and valid looking check for $4,922.00. I am naturally very skeptical and question everything but the idea of having that kind of money was sooooo inticing. I am a single mom and while my son and I are by no means destitute, there are times when I have to bleed dollars from pennies. I called the number on the letter and spoke to a Mr. Ray Washington. He instructed me to deposit the check into my bank account after which time I was to contact him again so that he could give me instructions on how to pay the taxes on my supposed prize money ($266,000.00). I had a hunch it was phony, so before going to the bank, I did a little research with my good friend Google. I looked up Disciple Real Estate Services, the purported clearing/disbursement institution, and gave them a call. Turns out, Atlantic Lottery Corproation took their bank account information and printed up bogus lottery winning checks. I read the account number on the bottom of my check to the Disciple Real Estate representative and she confirmed what my hunch had told me...it was a fake. I am so glad I did not deposit that check or give any personal financial information to anyone. PLEASE be aware that scammers are out there and some are very sophisticated. Go with your gut. The old saying is spot on....if it seems to good to be true, it probably is.

[leela]

It's very encouraging that people are starting to investigate these things. Scammers get rich precisely because people want/need the money and are willing to believe anything they are told. Mamabearcmt, as you've found out, Google is your friend (as is this website!) and a little research will save you a lot of money - not to mention heartache.

[Garak]

Originally Posted by mamabearcmt

Do not believe anything you read or receive from Atlantic Lottery Corporation!!!

The ironic thing is that the Atlantic Lottery Corporation is a real, legitimate company. It's unfortunate that scammers have sullied their good name. As a Canadian, I have a few important pieces of information for our American friends. Lotteries in Canada pay in Canadian dollars, not U.S.D. Lottery winnings in Canada are not taxable in any way, shape, or form. There is no lottery tax, nor are lottery winnings taxable income. It is also against the law in Canada for a service charge to be assessed for receiving winnings. Also, virtually every ticket sold by the Atlantic Lottery Corporation, Western Canadian Lottery Corporation, the BC Lottery Corporation, and the others is sold anonymously.

They have no way of knowing that you won. They will know that a certain ticket won, and they may know from what location is was purchased (if it were a number type lottery). They would certainly have no way to contact you to advise you of your winnings. Considering that when one buys a standard lottery product in Canada one gives no personal information, there's simply no reason for the Atlantic Lottery Corporation, or anyone else, for that matter, to track you.

The only way they can know you won is if you bought a subscription ticket. When those are purchased, the winnings are automatically placed in your bank account without any mailings (unless it's a large win, rather than the usual $2 to $10 win) or any action on your part, and no service fees.

The important thing to remember is that in Canada, no charge may be assessed to a winner of a lottery ticket for the purposes of claiming the prize. All lotteries in Canada must be licenced and can easily be checked through each province's gambling authority. If you actually won something from the ALC, you'd have to contact them to claim the prize, rather than the other way around.

[akittybizarre]

One of my aunts just recently received a letter and cheque, but she has already deposited the cheque, which the bank has put on hold. She was suspicious enough of it to come me and my mom about it and asked us to research it even though she's tried to deposit the cheque. I knew it was a scam right away because I was taught in a seminar in college that anytime something like this happens where you get money but then you have to send some of it back, that is red flag number one. Red flag number is the letter where it says final notification and you're just getting any kind of contact for the first time.

But still I opted to research anyway just to be sure. I'm glad to have found this thread as well as this article -> http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news0...c_lottery.html. As stated in the article, the real Atlantic Lottery doesn't operate in the US.

I hope what I've shared can help others before they take the leap into this scam.

[scammedco]

:eek:

Boy were we shocked as a company this morning. We received two phone calls that people had received checks from us that they were not sure they were entitled to - with letters concerning a lottery win. When we received the copies of the checks over the fax machine - they resembled our company checks. The checks have our company name (Starved Rock Lodge) and address on the top left corner...with our account routing numbers, checking account numbers, address, company name, etc. They even have our signatures on both checks. The funny thing about it is that our signatures on the signature lines are exact on both checks. We called our bank immediately and put a hold on all checks being cashed. But as an employer - we could get scammed as well. If the people who received these bogus checks cash them - they would come out of our account. We may not know about it until the next month when we were balancing our checking accounts. We contacted the police immediately and are getting them the information of the two people that have contacted us. It is a shame that these scammers are getting peoples money. I wanted to post something because after checking this number out on the internet - I noticed one comment was that the business on the check in Florida they were thinking didn't exist...guess what - we are one of the business' on the check and we exist as a business - this is really scary! Be assured that we are going to do everything we can as a business to find out who did this. Our State Police in Illinois is getting involved today. Maybe someday they will get caught. I hope they do - this is such a shame.

[leela]

scammedco: Were the cheques stolen or fake?

[scammedco]

We have not lost any checks or had any stolen...that's what we can't seem to figure out - they have our information and our signatures. The only thing we can figure out is that we sent out a check to a company to pay for product and someone made a copy or scanned our check...then started this scam by making computer checks that look the same. The check numbers they are using are already through the bank...so they should not go through again, but you never know.

[leela]

Yes, sounds like they're forged. It's not difficult to do these days, and most people (including, unfortunately, a lot of bank clerks!) can't tell them from the real thing.

As they're forged, hopefully your company won't be liable for anything.

Hope you find out what happened soon.

[ozemc]

Same thing happened to me over the last few days. My BS detector went up right away.

My letter was just like the rest:

Total winnings 262,000, check for 4922.00, call Mr. RAY WASHINGTON.

This check was written on the account of the First Church of The Nazarene, of Bloomfield, IL.

I'm going to try to find their number and call them.

I'll be taking this to the post office this afternoon, or the police.

[JenniLynne79]

I received the exact same letter (with only minor differences: different drawing date, slightly different amount, and different claims person.) The winning numbers are the exact same. I am planning to have a local investigator take a look and then call them for me.

[easthomas]

This letter seems all the rage right now. I have one for the same amount....4922...but drawn off a bank in St. Paul, MN....same gig with needing to pay fees via western union in order to win the rest of my 262,000 US dollars....what a jip and now I have to find out who to turn it over to....funny thing is they sent it to the wrong person...I never do lottery...once in a while do the reader's digest thing.....and I work for the state police!

[Kerk33096]

I am a teller at a Credit Union and I have personally received 3 letters from these people and have had some members receive them as well. These checks look VERY real and some even had the ***** marks. The scariest one I had was one that was drawn off Washington Mutual. This check looked so real and if i didn't have a BS radar and my experience with my job, I would have thought it was real! BEWARE... these scumbags are getting smarter!