DiNapoli Warns Of NY Sweepstakes Scam With Twist
ALBANY, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- This scam should be easy to sniff out: It depends on people believing government is giving them thousands of dollars.
New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli warns the fraud is widespread.
The scam tells consumers they won hundreds of thousands of dollars from a USA Mega lottery drawing in August. A company using the name Alpha Financial Services of Canada in Nova Scotia tells the would-be victims it has been assigned to inform winners and pay them off.
Included in the letter to potential victims is a counterfeit New York state check for thousands of dollars and a message to contact a claims agent to "activate" the check.
The scam may play upon a service by the comptroller's office that tries to match unclaimed funds to New Yorkers who might not know they're owed money.
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