Published: November 21, 2008 03:21 pm         

Lottery scam uses name of shale operator

Phil Riddle

editor@weatherforddemocrat.com

The man on the other end of the line identified himself as Mr. Frances Anderson, a claims agent for a British lottery commission.

He assured me the $4,500 check I received from Chesapeake Operating of Oklahoma City was mine to keep.

All I had to do was deposit the check and call him back for instructions for claiming the remainder of the $150,000 I had won in the “third category winners lottery draw” in England.

However, and he couldn’t stress it enough, I was not to take the notification letter to the bank.

“If they see you won this money,” Anderson said, “we’ll be forced to add your name to a published group of winners and that costs you $75,000.”

Upon calling him back and claiming to have deposited the check, I was told to go to a Moneygram outlet and remit $3,750 for non-resident government taxes, whereupon, the rest of the lottery winnings would be released.

Again, I was told to keep the source of the money a secret.

“If they find out you won the lottery, they will charge you according to your winnings,” the man identified as Anderson said. “It will cost you $1,800 instead of the usual $110 to transfer funds overseas.”

The letter also stated the remainder of the winnings could be sent in a cashier’s check or deposited directly into my bank account.

Not surprisingly, the letter, which actually came to a Weatherford woman, along with a legitimate looking check bearing the familiar name of a company which does business in the Barnett Shale, was the instrument in a scam to steal money from local residents.

Weatherford Police Lieutenant Chris Crawford said he was not aware of this particular scam, but it fits the criteria of others that have shown up in the area.

“I have not heard of this one, but it sounds like several others.” he said. “They will send a check then ask for taxes, or they’ll send a check for more than they tell you you’re due and ask for the overage back. By the time you find out the check is no good, it’s too late and you’ve lost your money.”

Crawford reiterated an old saying that applies when dealing with e-mails and letters the recipient feels are suspicious.

“If it seems way too good to be true,” he said, “it probably is. Most legitimate companies won’t contact you and ask for all kinds of personal information.”

Crawford said caution should be used when dealing with unsolicited offers over the phone or on the Web.

“There are so many fraudulent groups that are phishing through e-mails and telemarketing calls,” he said. “If you have questions about an e-mail or a phone call — if it just seems to easy — call someone. Call a friend or a relative. Call the police. We’ll be more than happy to answer any questions you have.”

After receiving my instructions for paying taxes on my winnings, I identified myself as a reporter, and he immediately hung up. Follow-up calls have not been answered.

     

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