Links Financial Incorporated
Complaint 302748 Details

On January 24, 2014, I received a letter dated January 13, 2014 advising me that I was the 2nd prize winner in the second category of the EUROPEAN, AFRICAN and USA Consumer sweepstake, in conjunction with USA Departmental Stores. The third paragraph reads, "Links Financial Incorporated (An Independent Body) has been assigned by the sweepstake organization, to inform and direct all the winners and to assist them in receiving their winnings." The letter goes on to say "PLEASE NOTE: WE DO NOT NEED YOUR BANKING DETIALS [SIC] AT ANYTIME AND DO NOT DISCLOSE YOUR BANKING DETAILS TO ANYONE AT ALL. Payment of your winning prize money will be made by a CERTIFIED CHECK and will be brought to you in person by our special courier company.

Next is a paragraph that says, "Enclosed is a check in the amount of US $4,250.00 provided to help you pay for the processing fee." Then a text box with the words: PROCESSING FEE IS: $3,850.00 US DOLLARS.

When I called the claims agent, Mary Green at 1-877-1595 to start my claim processing and to activate my check, she instructed me to go to my bank and deposit the check and then to call her after the deposit was made.

When I presented the check to my bank (Wells Fargo), they informed me that the check was "a fraudulent document." The banker kept the check to submit to Wells Fargo's Fraud Department to follow up on it.

The banker did say that if the Fraud Department deems the check to not be fraudulent, they will return the check to me.