So, I received a check in the mail today. It was not something I was expecting but the figure was certainly a nice one -- $2,900.25! Woohoo! Apparently, I have won some lottery called De-Lotto North American and European Sweepstakes Lottery (which was allegedly held on the 28th of October, 2010...and I'm only just now receiving my notification?! Geez...).

According to the fancy letter I received, I am entitled to $50,000! Damn! Man, I sure could use that money...But there are a few issues I have with this whole thing.

1) The quality of paper it's printed on is...well...crummy. It's not business paper, it's the same stuff I use at home. In fact, the stuff I use at home may actually be better quality.

2) The photo of the $25.5 million winner is in black and white...and the quality is worse than the paper it's printed on.

3) Speaking of the photo...in the letter it states the total prize money is "$4 Million US dollars that was shared among the other 80 declared winners." If the total moneys only equaled $4 million then why does the check in the photo show $25.5 million?

4) There are spelling/grammar/formatting errors. No self-respecting business would send out a notification with spelling/grammar/formatting errors.

5) The phone number. It's a Montréal cell phone (I know because I Googled it) but the letterhead is for a New York address (I suppose it's possible that someone in a New York office would have a Montréal cell phone, but I somehow doubt they would use it to receive business-related calls).

6) The check. The letterhead is from RMD Securities, Inc of New York, NY, but the check is drawn on the Omaha State Bank and is from the account of Consolidated Water Solutions, Inc, of Omaha, Nebraska...erm...okay. I checked up on this Consolidated blah blah blah, and it turns out they are a legit company -- selling water softening equipment. Um...what? Why would this company be sending me a check for $2,900.25 in conjunction with this lottery?

7) The check. I found an article called, Spotting The Foreign Lottery Scam, in which the author, Mary Finn, explains what to look for in a fraudulent check...and everything she says to look for is present on this check.

So, maybe you're wondering how this all works. Well, this scam is run in the following manner:

The scammers send you a letter informing you that you are entitled to "X" amount of money, and, oh yeah, here's a check to help cover the "clearance fee" (or taxes on the amount you are to be paid), which you must send to them in order for them to finish processing your claim and send you the entitlement. *smirk* In order to do this, you must call "Y" number and speak to "Z" individual in order to verify your file. Once your file is verified, then you must deposit the check and then send them back the "clearance fee," after which time they will send your award to you.

Okay, that's how it's supposed to work...but here's what actually happens:

You call their number to let them know they have a live one, you then deposit the check in your account and send them the fee, which gives them access to your account, which they are then free to drain at some later date, and the check they sent you bounces and they leave you paying the price.

Well, that's nice.

I have no doubt that there are people who aren't as cynical as I am and wouldn't do the finger work in order to determine the legality of this thing. I admit, when I saw that check for nearly $3,000 my mind went cha-ching! And I thought about all the bills I could pay off with $50,000. But then I came to my senses and did some "verifying" of my own...

And then I got the phone number for the water filtration company, which I intend to call tomorrow and let them know there are some dirt-bag scammers using their bank account. So, while these guys think they're getting one over on someone else, they have picked the wrong chica!

So, Whatever-you-name-is Scammer, the joke is firmly on you.