We received a check for $2962.00 from APSCO Sports Enterprises drawn on JP Morgan Bank, N.A. in New York. This seems to be real check with watermarks on the back and came with a letter stating we had won $50,000 and this check was to pay the taxes. Is it legal to cash this check? Has anyone heard of this and is it a scam?

ballengerb1

Sounds almost too good to be true, right? You are about to be scammed. I don't know what their angle is but I'd start by calling your states attorney's fraud department. You might want to present your check to a JP Morgan or Chase bank and ask them to verify the check.

valinors_sorrow

This is a good idea. Maybe call the APSCO Sports Enterprise people too, just in case they can enlighten as well.

APSCO Sports Enterprises
50th St And 1st Ave Ldg 57 T A
Brooklyn, NY , 11232
Phone: 718-965-9500
FAX: 718-965-3088
Website: Apsco Sports Enterprises
Business Activity: Importer

Products Description:
Screen printing on fabric

jeffp

DONT CASH IT. CONTACT THE COMPANY ON THE CHECK AND ASKED THEM IF IT IS REAL. BUT DON'T CASH IT.

My company was recently contacted by someone on the other side of the country who had a company check for several thousand dollars that they had received as a "sweepstakes". A family member saw the check and thought it was suspicious. The prize came with a letter that said to cash the check and send a "fee" and then they would get more money. One person even got repeated calls from the sweepstakes people pressuring her to cash the check and send the fee.

Its a scam. The check was a check someone had lost and the thief used a process called "washing" that removed the payee and amount and they inserted another name and increased the amount.

obviously when we learned of it and other checks that were being cash on the account we closed the account and the bank went after the people taking the money back from their accounts and pressing charges of fraud against them if they spent the money. The ones who paid the "fee" were stung as they lost that money and had to pay back the prize.

If you didn't enter the contest then be very cautious about about it.

ppotter

Yes, it does certainly seem to good to be true. I did actually call APSCO at the number listed on the check (different from the number listed on their website) but received a message that the voicemail was full (probably the other million people that received a check). I also the verification number and of course the person that answered said it was legimate and we would receive our check, but still seems suspicious. What's really weird is that APSCO and JP MOrgan Chase Bank on check is in NY, the letter says the drawing was in Ireland, the confirmation letter is from the Virgin Islands but the postmark is First Class from Canada. I'm sure it's a scam, but not sure how they would work this one, since they ask for no fees or purchases. We will definitely be calling the bank and APSCO tomorrow. Thanks ballingerb, jeffp and vallinoirs_sorrow for your advise!

shygrneyzs

It sure is a scam - my nephew almost fell for that too. Thankfully he had the wits to tell my brother and my brother called the Attorney General's office. If you EVER get something like that - you would have remembered entering the contest and it would be an honest postmark and a legitimate number to call.

Fr_Chuck

It is a old scam they send you a fake check for ( in this case taxes) or over payment for some item and you are to cash it and then send it back to them in a money order or perhaps by western union.

It takes the check a couple weeks to be found fake and by that time you owe the bank all the money back.

It is not illegal to depoisit it, but don't spend any of it at all for at least 2 months and see if the check don't bounse ( you will pay a bounce check fee most likely on your account)

If this was real, they would notify you of the check, and on a big award the IRS meets you with a rep at the place you get your check and arranges the taxes to be paid. ( What happens to lottery winners) or you actually only get the check amount after taxes you claim.