Northampton County Sheriff Jack Smith is warning citizens of Northampton County and the surrounding counties of a recent scam by mail.
A concerned citizen reported to the sheriff’s office that they received a letter in the mail stating they had won a prize with the USA Sweepstakes Millions; the letter also had a check inside.
The letter states that the check is for taxes and handling fees, it also directs the person to call to have the larger winnings delivered to them personally.
The check is written on a different company name than what appears on the letterhead of the prize notification letter.
The sheriff said in a statement the citizen knew this was a scam from the beginning and reported it to the sheriff’s office without suffering any loss.
Smith provided the following tips:
If you are asked to pay any money out of pocket before the prize will be released to you, it is a scam. It is also illegal under federal law.
Never pay any money from your bank account or through money wire payments or payment cards like Green Dot MoneyPak, PayPal, or any other cards or form of payment.
Never play along with the caller. Report the matter to your local law enforcement officials and the state attorney general’s office.
Be suspicious of anyone asking you to send money and contact your law enforcement officials and the attorney general’s office if you have questions or need assistance.
The North Carolina Attorney General’s Office has a number citizens can call if they think they been the victim of a sweepstakes, lottery, counterfeit check or overseas letter scam. It is toll-free within the state and can be reached by dialing 1-877-5-NO-SCAM.
Citizens can go to the following web sites for more information about different types of scams:
