[RM]

A mention of Lightfoot :

Beware the check in the mail

By Joe Garcia
The Arizona Republic
Sept. 30, 2007 12:00 AM
The check is in the mail.

How many times have we heard that one?

In a world of e-mails, cellphones and text messaging, we know that U.S. mail nowadays translates into a world of bills, credit-card offers and miscellaneous junk mail.

I haven't received a handwritten letter in ages - other than from my friend Kirk in Washington state. (OK, Kirk, I still owe you a letter.)

So imagine my surprise when there really was a check in the mail.

My lucky day.

I could tell immediately that this correspondence was special. The envelope had a Canadian stamp with a bright yellow flower. I would have preferred a commemorative Gordon Lightfoot stamp, but my disappointment was temporary as I tore open the envelope and there was a letter congratulating me - accompanied by a check.

The check was for $2,980.39. It had my name and address typed right above the "Pay to the order of" line: "Two-thousand Nine Hundred Eighty and 39 Cents."

But get this: The check is just to cover "both the administrative payment and clearance fees for your winnings."

That's right. I'd struck it rich.

Actually, I had come in third in the Mega lottery held on July 20, "in which your name was drawn randomly," the letter explained. For my third-tier winner status, I had won $250,000.

Wow. Should I quit my job or just take a long vacation? I've always wanted to visit Sweden and Alaska - and, what the heck, fly my Lear jet to Nova Scotia to see the total eclipse of the sun, like in that Carly Simon song.

Dang, I wish I had won first place.

But don't look a gift horse in the mouth, as my father used to tell me (although, as a small boy, I used to think he was saying, "Don't look a deaf horse in the mouth," and I'd just nod like I knew what he was talking about because in a twisted way, it sort of made sense to me).

I examined the check carefully. It had an authorized signature. It had a check number in the right corner and that computerized check routing number on the bottom. The check face was multicolor to prevent fraud and had "a simulated watermark" that can best be seen at a 45-degree angle and a special certification mark on the back, again, to prevent fraud.

"It's a real check all right," I said.

Forget the casino. Apparently you've got a better chance of winning by just opening up your mailbox. And whoever said about the lottery that "you can't win if you don't play" apparently never won the Mega lottery.

"Losers," I said under my breath. My name was randomly drawn and I didn't even have to buy a ticket.

All I had to do was call the toll-free number (although $250,000 richer, I could certainly afford a long-distance call) and give them my claim number along with some other information so they could validate the cheque and begin the authorisation process.

Waitaminute. What kind of a scam is this, I thought, that spells "check" and "authorization" like the Brits? Then I remembered the Canadian stamp. It must have been Canada's Mega lottery I won, although the letterhead was from a financial trust company in Minneapolis, and the check was issued by a bank in La Marque, Texas.

Everything seemed legit. After all, the check was for $2,980.39. If it had been a round number, say, $3,000.00, my Spidey senses would have been tingling, warning me of danger.

I called the 800 number and the message asked that I leave a message and phone number. I called several times, but got the same message every time. Then I called the state Attorney General's Office.

"You didn't cash the check, did you?" I was immediately asked.

Well, no, I said.

"Good, it's a scam."

Actually, I knew it was a scam. Nobody sends you money for nothing through the mail. It doesn't happen. It doesn't matter if you're praying for a financial miracle to get you out of a jam or just figure you're due for some good luck after a long string of back luck.

It just doesn't happen. Even if you play the lottery and actually win big, you'll have to go to the lottery offices to fill out a bunch of forms and get your check.

Everything else - other than pretending to not know it was a scam - in this column is true. I wanted to illustrate how easy it is to be fooled by scammers, especially if you're desperate or not quite thinking straight for whatever reason.

Millions of Americans are scammed every year.

The check is in the mail?

No, the check is in the shredder, where it belongs.