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Mail scams flood Fallbrook

“Scam mail is running rampant in Fallbrook,” said John McLelland, Crime Prevention Specialist for the Fallbrook Sheriff’s Substation.

One such operation is sending letters to Fallbrook and Bonsall residents offering an employment opportunity to be a “secret shopper” and be paid to rate their customer service experiences with easily recognizable chain stores such as Wal-Mart, Burger King, Old Navy, Best Buy and more. A cashier’s check is enclosed for the resident (victim) with instructions to place a phone call to the company after they have deposited the bogus check. The calls appear to be routed to the Caribbean, where the operator seeks from the victim his or her personal bank account information.

A second scam involves notification that the recipient has won the Canadian Lottery.

“An elderly gentleman came into the Fallbrook Substation and brought in a fictitious check that was sent to him via US mail from Canada stating that he had won the Canadian Lottery,” McLelland said. “The gentleman took the check to the bank to cash it, knowing that he did not enter the Canadian Lottery. The bank declined to cash the check and referred him to the Sheriff’s Department. The bank employee saved the gentleman from having $3,150 worth of debt.”

McLelland says the problem rests in how real these checks look. “The checks that are being sent from these fictitious entities all look authentic, even the one appearing to be a certified cashier’s check.” Many of these scam letters are arriving in hand-addressed envelopes with individual stamps affixed, making them appear to be personal correspondence.

The Sheriff’s Department advises residents to be critical of any offers they receive in the mail like this and not to respond if they look suspicious.

“Anytime you receive something that seems too good to be true, it probably is,” McLelland said. “If you’ve never entered a lottery or initiated any kind of financial transaction with the company, why would they send you such an offer?”

Questions regarding suspicious letters can be directed to John McLellend at the Fallbrook Sheriff’s Substation, (760) 451-3100.

 

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