Posted by Melissa Burlaga
A Hibbing resident was presented with a check for $36,936.09 last week by Special Agent Bill White of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS) Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement Division (AGED).
The sum represents funds recovered from a recent scam in which the unidentified victim had been lead to believe she had won a Publishers Clearing House sweepstake.
The successful recovery of the victim’s money was due in part to swift communication and cooperation between the AGED, Hibbing Police, Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), FBI, and St. Louis County Attorney’s Office.
Charges by the St. Louis County Attorney’s Office against a Florida resident are pending.
In January, the victim was notified by phone that she had won $600,000 from Publishers Clearing House.
The scammer instructed her to wire $2,500 so that her winnings could be wired into her account.
The victim wired the requested funds to an account in Canada through Western Union.
The scammer, now posing as a Publishers Clearing House security officer, advised the victim that she needed to wire $36,000 to an account in a Florida bank to pay duty on winnings.
A Fed Ex package with account and other information needed to complete the transfer was sent to the victim, who then wired the funds to a bank in Plant City, Florida.
After additional requests for larger sums, the victim contacted Hibbing Police which referred the case to AGED in St. Paul.
AGED agents contacted FDLE which served a search warrant on the suspect bank account; the account held nearly $10,000 which was seized.
As a result of an interview with the account holder and continued investigation, AGED received a cashier’s check for $27,000 from the suspect in February.
The St. Louis County Attorney’s Office, as well as other law enforcement agencies, continues to review the case.
“This case is most unusual in that funds were recovered. Usually if funds leave the country, they are nearly impossible to retrieve,” says White. “Recognizing and reporting possible scams are the keys to preventing victimization and shutting down these operations.”
AGED warns Minnesotans to be alert to sweepstake scams promoted by phone, mail and the Internet.
Suspected fraud should be reported to the AGED: submit information at www.MnScams.org; forward suspect emails to report@mnscams.org; or call toll-free 866-347-0911.
Fraudulent mailings should be forwarded to: Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement Division, 444 Cedar St., Ste. 133, Saint Paul, MN 55101.
Fraudulent lottery and sweepstakes scams account for at least $30 million in losses each year in Minnesota.
Many of the scams target the elderly.
“Simply put, people don’t pay a fee to be in a sweepstakes,” notes John Willems, AGED director. “If you pay to be in, or pay a fee to get ‘winnings’ out, the sweepstakes is a scam.” Willems suggests using the following questions to evaluate the legitimacy of sweepstakes or other promotions.
·Can you easily locate and understand the rules or instructions to enter the sweepstakes or promotion? If you cannot, the contest is likely a fraud.
·Is an entry fee required for entering the promotion or contest? Entry fees are not required in fair and lawful contests.
·Are you asked to provide any financial information (credit card or bank account numbers) or your social security number? This information is not required or asked for by genuine sweepstake organizers in declaring contest winners.
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