Local Woman Loses
$3100 in Check Scam

Randolph police this week urged residents to be wary of offers of cash winnings that seem too good to be true. They generally will prove to be exactly that, as one local woman, who lost $3100, found out.

The distressed 26-year-old Randolph woman called the Randolph Police Dept. the night of Sept. 13 and told Sgt. David Leighton that the scam started with a letter, originating from Canada, announcing she had won $3500. She was instructed to cash the check and return $3100 of the money to a person in Atlanta, Georgia, to pay a "non-resident tax."

She said her local bank declined to cash the check immediately, but advised her a few days later that the check "was good" and that the money was in her account. As instructed, she sent off the $3100, via Western Union.

However, the bank subsequently reported that the check "was no longer good," she told the officer.

Sgt. Leighton reported that the woman thought there might have been a stop order on the check. In any case, she is now liable for the $3100 she sent out, plus the balance of the "winnings" still in her account is frozen, she told Leighton.

Leighton advised the woman to call the Vermont Attorney General’s office in the morning, and to contact the bank, to let them know the matter is under investigation and to get more information on why the check was approved and then stopped.

Leighton also suggested contacting the U.S. Post Office, as the scam might be investigated as federal mail fraud.

This week, RPD Chief Jim Krakowiecki noted that he had recently ordered a quantity of free "Consumer Fraud Alert Calendars" from the AG’s office. The calendars, once they arrive, will be available at a variety of locations, including the Randolph Senior Center, Randolph House, Jocelyn House, and the police station.

Here is excerpt from last year’s calendar:

"The first contact from a scam artist can take the form of a phone call or postcard promising you proceeds from a foreign lottery. If you respond, you’ll be asked to pay fees—sometimes exorbitant fees—before the funds can cross the border, or you’ll be told you can win more money for an additional fee, and so on.

"If you get a phone call or mailing that says you’re a winner, you can bet you’ve been contacted by a crook."