Williamstown Residents Warned of Check Scam
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Following reports of a similar scam in Bennington, Vt., and Hoosick Fall, N.Y., last year, Police Chief Kyle J. Johnson issued a statement on Wednesday that warned citizens of an operation - purporting to be from Toronto - that issues fraudulent checks to random "winners" and then asks for a portion of the funds to "pay the government applicable tax fees."
"The 'winner' is advised by the scamming company that they accidentally overpaid the amount owed in applicable taxes and that the 'winner' should cash the check, keep half of the amount and send the other half back to the company. Once done, they promise to forward the balance of the prize," said Johnson. "The victim is usually notified a short time later by the bank that the check was phony, and now the victim is responsible for paying back the entire amount."
Police were informed of the scam this week when a resident, who had received a letter stating that the individual had won a sweepstakes, called to ask the chief's advice on whether or not the prize was legitimate. Calls to State Street Bank & Trust, the issuing bank, confirmed that the check was counterfeit.
The correspondence comes from "Dominion Financial Award Inc." and assigns each individual with claim number and a "claim analyst" who will walk you through the process to receive the winnings, which includes sending an untraceable MoneyGram back to the agency.
A call on Wednesday to the number provided by Dominion in the letter reached an answering machine saying no one was available. A second attempt earlier today said the call could not be put through.
Johnson said he was not aware of any other Berkshire towns hit by the scam but he warned residents to destroy a Dominion check if they receive one.
"Never respond to these notices and never give out any personal or banking information," he said.
Tips on avoiding being scammed are available on Attorney General Martha Coakley's Web site.
