Far too many red flags made a $4,185 check, addressed to an Oxford Township man, not worth the paper it was printed on, or the stamp used to send it.
That’s saying a lot, since the check was drawn from a Texas bank by a California company, which then sent the check to Michigan through a Canadian postmark.
Dianne Book took the check, addressed to her husband Robert, to Oxford Bank since it seemed like something her mother used to tell her–too good to be true. It was dated April 9, and they received it in the mail a week later on April 16.
The letter informed the Books they were the ‘lucky winners? in a ‘Publisher’s Clearing house [sic]? and ‘Compensation Draw? sweepstakes.
The Books ‘won? a lump sum payment of $125,000. All they had to do is cash the check and pay $3,991.10 through Western Union or Moneygram.
How did the Books ‘win?? An entry was attached to their name and matched the first five lucky numbers of 2-32-9-94, making them a winner. If you’re wondering what the fifth lucky number was, there isn’t one: the letter listed only four.
The letter the Cooks received is from City Direct Services Inc. in Calabasas, Calif. The ‘file maker? to contact to facilitate the claim process has a Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada phone number
The ‘check? was drawn from Dallas-based Centex Corp through First State Bank, located about 75 miles southeast of Dallas in Athens, Texas.
‘I was surprised when I received [the check] because it looks legitimate,? Mrs. Book said. ‘We get a lot of these, but somewhere on them they usually say ‘not negotiable.? It even has a security mark on the back, which I read with a magnifying glass.?
She took the check to Oxford Bank.
?[The bank] had a thick book and looked up the routing number and they said [the routing number] was real,? she added.
Tony Lasher, Oxford Bank’s director of marketing, said two customer service representatives spoke with Mrs. Book. While the routing number of the bank listed on the check was accurate, other signs made the bank officials suspicious. The check, from what the bank could tell, had no watermarks on it. The envelope also looked suspicious.
‘We told her it wasn’t a legitimate check and that we did not recommend her depositing it,? Lasher explained.
He added that if a customer is adamant about depositing such a check despite the bank’s recommendation not to, the check could be deposited into a savings account with extended exception hold. ‘We hold it longer to verify funds,? he explained.
She chose not to deposit it, and the bank then told her to report the check to the police and to the Oxford Leader. Mrs. Book reported it to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office.
Sergeant Robert Brudvig, commander of the OCSO Addison Township substation, said they don’t get many reports of this type of scam. He advised people to use common sense and caution if they ever receive such a letter.
‘Call the bank (where the check originated from), give them the account number and see if it’s a good check,? he said. ‘Ask yourself if it’s something that’s owed to you. Also, is it from a known or unknown person? Is it out of country or out of state? Be cautious of someone wanting you to send money.?
Be especially leery of letters telling you to send money to another country. In this case, the letter was postmarked Canada with the ‘file maker,? listed as ‘Mr. Anthony Love,? having a Vancouver phone number.
‘It is extremely difficult to recover money you’ve sent outside the country and even inside the country, depending on the locations,? Brudvig added.
Stephanie Furrh, a customer service representative with First State Bank, said the bank receives more than 100 calls daily regarding fraudulent checks supposedly drawn from the rural Texas bank.
‘The account number was from a small business in Athens,? she said. ?[The scammers] got a hold of the information and started printing fraudulent checks.?
Centex Corp is a home building company. Their address is listed as ?2728 N.Haywood St? with a Dallas zip code of 75215. Actually, there’s no North Haywood Street in Dallas and the zip code was wrong.
The business no longer uses that account number, she said, adding that Centex does not even have an account at First State Bank. Furrh added the bank either advises customers to send the check to collections so it doesn’t go into their account or to report it to police and throw it away.