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Lottery check turns out to be scam

Feds working to cut off schemes, educate public about fraud
 

By Brittany Butcher,
Staff Writer
 

Free money can be expensive.

Last week Leland resident Theresa Adams received a check for $1,600, supposedly from a London-based lottery group. She cashed the check, keeping half of the money and using the rest to pay bills, she said.

Wednesday, March 7, 2007

Grand jury indicts Plano man with mail fraud and making false statements in used car sales

By Pegasus News wire

 

A federal grand jury in Dallas indicted Massoud Mortazavi-Koupai of Plano with six counts of mail fraud and three counts of making a false statement on transfer of a used motor vehicle, related to a fraudulent scheme which included concealing structural damage and odometer discrepancies. It is anticipated that Mortazavi-Koupai, 46, will surrender to federal authorities and then appear before a U.S. magistrate judge.

 

With six children to raise, $1,600 was a pleasant surprise for the 42-year-old stay-at-home mom.

"I was like, 'Finally, someone's doing something nice for me,'" she said.

But now, Adams said, RBC Centura has frozen her bank account and told her she owes money she doesn't have.

Adams is one of millions who have fallen prey to similar scams, including a handful of local residents.

Each lottery scam differs, but the general idea is this: You receive notification that you've won money in a lottery. But after you cash the check, you are told to send back most of the money to cover fees and taxes for a larger prize.

For Adams, timing was an issue. Had she received a letter with her check, she would have questioned it, she said. But the letter stating a much bigger windfall - $65,000 - was coming her way didn't arrive until a few days after she received and cashed the check.
 

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