Too good to be true

BY ELYSE AMEND

elyse.amend@transcontinental.ca

As the old saying goes, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. But with promises of quick and easy cash, a simple letter received in the mail may cause people to second guess common sense.

“It looked really legitimate with the red and the registered trademark and everything,” said Pierrefonds resident Chris Eustace, who was recently surprised to receive a letter in the mail informing him he was a €480,000 winner (about $721,000) in the Free Coca-Cola Award International Bonanza. The letter, which apparently originated in Madrid, Spain, claimed the “lottery” gives over €200 million (just over $300 million) away in more than 150 countries around the world every year. The note – printed in black with the Coca-Cola logo in red – came complete with official-looking barcodes and contact information for a Mr. Hope Galvez, who would help him claim his prize.

“What really surprised me is the fact that it was delivered by a mailman. It almost fooled me,” Eustace said, adding he was used to seeing similar notices in his e-mail inbox, but this was the first scam letter he had received in the mail.

All Eustace had to do was fill out the “release order form” with personal information, including his telephone number, occupation, marital status and bank account numbers, and fax it back to Spain with a photocopy of his passport, before March 21.

When he started looking at things a little closer, Eustace decided not to follow through. The postmark on the envelope turned out to be a fake sticker and there were plenty of spelling and grammatical errors in the letter itself.

“I usually just throw these things out, but this struck me as being really authentic,” Eustace said, adding he reported the letter to the Coca-Cola Company, because he was worried some people might get taken in and respond to it. “I have no idea why I was singled out. I’m just a retired, simple teacher. I have absolutely no idea.”

Katherine Austen, a corporate communications officer at the Coca-Cola Company’s Canadian headquarters in Toronto, said they were “very aware of these letters” and are currently investigating the situation. She directed people to the Coca-Cola website www.thecoca-colacompany.com) to find out more about or report such scams. More information can be found by clicking the ‘Contact Us’ tab and following the ‘Myths and Rumours’ link.

Eustace is not the only West Islander to receive such a scam in the mail. In December, Jean-Louis Lacasse, another Pierrefonds resident, opened a letter from “authorities” at the United Bank of Africa informing him they needed his help to claim $25 million from the bank account of a rich man who had died several years ago. If he followed their directions, Lacasse would be able to keep 40 per cent of the amount. Like Eustace, Lacasse has no idea why the letter ended up in his mailbox. “I think it may have been a coincidence,” he said. “I was told there have been other people in the area who have received similar letters.”

Sgt. Tony D’Angelo of COLT – the Centre of Operations Linked to Telemarketing Fraud, which is made up of members of the RCMP, Sûreté du Québec, Montreal Police, and other organizations from both Canada and the United States – said both Eustace and Lacasse’s letters sound like “fishing expeditions,” where the fraudsters try to collect personal information from people, which “could lead to further fraud down the line.”

COLT recently intercepted 50,000 pieces of mail that contained the false lottery scam and fake cheques. The cheques, ranging from $5,000 to $25,000, made up a total global amount of $195 million. According to D’Angelo, the fraudsters ask the victim to deposit the cheque in their bank account. They then ask the recipient to withdraw and money-wire a certain amount back to them to cover service fees and taxes.

“Once it’s received (on the other end) the money’s gone,” D’Angelo said, explaining that once the victim’s bank realizes the cheque bounced or was fraudulent, the victim is on the hook for the amount they had already withdrawn. “You as a client are now responsible for the amount owing. And that’s how the fraud works.”

D’Angelo said anyone who receives such a letter should keep a few things in mind. “If someone sends you a cheque or a lottery, you have to ask yourself, why am I being targeted? Did I fill something out?” he said. It is also illegal to charge taxes on any winnings in Canada. “Another question you need to ask is, if I’ve won their lottery, why don’t they just take the fees out of the winnings?”

To report an instance of fraud, call COLT at 514-939-8304, PhoneBuster, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Call Centre, at 1-888-495-8501, or the Competition Bureau of Canada (for telephone fraud) at 1-800-348-5358.

But the best way to avoid becoming a victim of fraud, according to D’Angelo, is to use common sense. “Vigilance. Never send money to someone you don’t know and you don’t know why you’ve been targeted,” he said. “If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.”