Victims Told to Wire Funds to Their Own Relatives

There is another twist on the overseas sweepstakes scams that have been reported in so many previous alerts. The fraud artists again are trying to circumvent efforts to warn consumers not to send money to strangers (particularly strangers overseas) in order to collect a sweepstakes prize.

Some sweepstakes scammers are now directing their targets to go to a local grocery store to buy a $2,000 to $3,000 "money gram" bearing the name and address of a relative or trusted friend. According to the scammers, the "money gram" is meant to serve as a security deposit for fees and taxes on a sweepstakes award of several hundred thousand dollars ? fees and taxes that won't be due until the award is delivered in a Brinks truck. The scammers call back within the hour to obtain the reference numbers for the "money grams" and the names and addresses of the friends or relatives listed thereon as payees. Within a couple of hours, the funds from the "money grams," which are wire transfer orders, are picked up in the Canadian province of Quebec by the scammers, who reportedly present fake ID's featuring the names of the victims' relatives or friends.

Local law enforcement and the staff of the NC Telemarketing Fraud Prevention Project in the Attorney General's Office are aware of one incident that occurred last week in Moore County and another very similar incident that occurred this week in Guilford County. Similar incidents are being reported in other states. The stores to which the NC victims were directed possessed wire transfer counters for the major U.S. wire transfer network MoneyGram.

******End of Alert******

June 8, 2005