Sweepstakes fraud is rampant in county
By Debbie Lowe

Sgt. Tony Burns of the Carroll County Sheriff's Department has some simple words of advice for residents.

"If you don't enter a sweepstakes, then don't expect to win one," he said during a Sept. 13 Comet interview.

Burns reported there are several sweepstakes frauds being perpetrated in Carroll County. The victims seem to be those individuals who are unfamiliar with how powerful the information age has become.

"Some people don't seem to understand just how easy and fast electronic transfers can be," he continued. "There are scams going on every day."

The sweepstakes fraud is the latest craze. The scam involves a victim who receives a letter with a check for a portion of their "winnings" with instructions to deposit the check into their bank account.

The victim is directed to then send money "out of your winnings check" to someone to "pay for taxes" due from the windfall.

"If you have to pay money to get your winnings, you should think twice about your winnings," Burns advised.

Burns said the checks are no good, although they can look legitimate.

Banks are becoming aware of the scams and are doing more to protect their customers, according to Cheryl Blickenstaff, bank sales manager for Salin Bank in Delphi.

"This scam is rampant right now," Blickenstaff said. "We get information from a service for bankers about fraudulent activities in the local area and beyond."

Blickenstaff said her staff asks questions if they think the customer might be a victim. When a customer presents a sweepstakes letter with the check and the information on the two documents doesn't match, the teller refers the customer to local law enforcement.

"We are just trying to protect and educate our customers," Blickenstaff stated. "People who grew up before advanced technology such as broad Internet use are really the targets for this kind of scam."

Blickenstaff offered words of caution to county residents. She recommends people not give any personal information over the Internet or the telephone, not release a debit card number or a social security number and people should not have a social security number printed on checks.

"We will close an account if we discover a customer who felt pressured to give information they were uncomfortable about giving," she concluded. "We are being more cautious. We know our customers and we will ask questions."

Burns also has recommendations to help resdents from becoming victims of fraud.

+Call the bank listed on the check to verify account numbers;

+Verify that the firm or organization that issued the check or that is hosting the sweepstakes exists;

+Remember that all information on the check and sweepstakes letter should match; and

+Report suspicious documents to local law enforcement immediately.

"Anybody can buy check paper and print checks now," Burns advised. "The sad thing is that people fall for this. You don't get something for nothing."