
02-27-07, 07:55 PM
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State Farm Insurance Sweepstakes - Dayton | | Insurer warns of sweepstakes check-cashing scam By Lisa Bernard
Staff Writer
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
DAYTON — A fraudulent check scheme, bearing State Farm Insurance's name, could be spreading through the region, a company spokesman said Tuesday.
As part of the scheme, which is thought to have originated in Canada, letters dated Feb. 14 are sent to consumers stating that a sweepstakes prize of $120,000 is waiting in their name, said State Farm Insurance Spokesman Fraser Engerman.
To collect the money, the letter tells these folks that they have to pay taxes and service charges, of $2,600," Engerman explained.
The letter goes on to state that State Farm Insurance, as a "financial sponsor" has elected to pay the charges, and instructs consumers to cash an enclosed $2,600 check and send the money to a Canada address.
"It's bogus," Engerman said. "We've seen it before and unfortunately it's happened again. There's little we can do to stop this from happening, because essentially they're just getting addresses from the phone book. Basically, people need to rip them up."
Contact this reporter at or lbernard@DaytonDailyNews.com
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