Hitting the Jackpot
By Bob McDonnellThe city of Point Pleasant, West Virginia is known for the legend of “The Mothman”: a winged creature with glowing red eyes, which some claim to have seen flying over their cars or lurking in the dark. The mythical fright has inspired books, movies, T.V. shows, monuments and a festival.
Last month, though, a different scare preyed on an elderly couple in Point Pleasant: the U.S. lottery scam. This is a new version of the infamous foreign lottery scam, which is hitting closer to home.
“They could have ruined us,” said Doris Blain, from her home in West Virginia. She and her husband, both 74 years old, are on a fixed income and struggling with their health.
Our Office has not received reports of this particular consumer fraud hitting Virginia – at least not yet – and we want to keep it that way.
The Blains received a letter in the mail from “National Fiduciary Trustees,” claiming the family had won $250,000 in the “U.S.A. Mega Millions Big Game” lottery. A check for $4,997 was enclosed. All they had to do, according to the letter, was cash the check, and send it back to a Canadian mailing address to pay their taxes on the winnings.
They had never entered the lottery, or even any sweepstakes, so it seemed suspicious. “Thank heavens that we were wise enough that we didn’t do anything without checking further about it,” Blain said.
Good thing the Blains didn’t cash the check and send it to the fake lottery operation. If they had done so, the bank would have informed them later that it was a bad check, forced them to repay it, and the Blains would have lost nearly $5,000 while the scam artist got away with the money.
If you fear you’ve lost money due to this or a similar scam, you may file a complaint with the Virginia Office of Consumer Affairs. The Web site is www.vdacs.virginia.gov, and the phone numbers are 800-552-9963 and 804-786-2042.
If you receive a letter similar to the one the Blains received, but have not lost any money from this scam, please forward a copy of the letter to my Office at 900 East Main St, Richmond, Virginia 23219, or complete our contact form.
“The scams are getting worse and worse,” Blain added. “I think it’s terrible that they prey on old people.”
Consumer protection is an important statutory duty of the Office of the Attorney General, and our staff can help. In an age of increased consumer issues, we all must continue to be educated and vigilant.
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