Fraud Alert - Lottery Winners Can Be Losers

Thought you won the lottery? Think again. Consumers across the world have received fraudulent letters from the so-called Ontario Lottery and Gaming Commission in Canada claiming they've won $170,000, according to phony documents obtained by DaimlerChrysler Financial Services Americas.

The letters contain counterfeit checks allegedly issued by "DaimlerChrysler Services" and "DaimlerChrysler Services Truck Finance" in the amount of $2,260. The company on January 1, 2006, changed the names of those units to DaimlerChrysler Financial Services and DaimlerChrysler Truck Financial.

"We care about the well-being and financial health of consumers," said Andreas Hinrichs, Vice President Global Projects and Chief Compliance Officer for DaimlerChrysler Financial Services Americas. "Therefore, we felt strongly about alerting the public to this ongoing criminal activity, especially when con artists victimize consumers by pretending to be associated with us."

Hinrichs also serves as Chairman of the American Financial Services Association's newly-formed Identity Theft and Fraud Control Committee.

As part of the con, recipients of the letters are asked to deposit the check to cover a service charge of the same amount in order to receive their winnings. However, before the check clears, recipients are requested to call a representative of the phony lottery and gaming commission who instructs the recipient to send a personal check via electronic transfer for $2,260 to "finalize the payment process." Not surprisingly, the original phony check never clears and the promised payout of $170,000 never arrives. In the meantime, the recipient's funds in the amount of $2,260 have disappeared.