My Dad fell for one of these in June. Since then, I have taken over his finances and he has me go through his mail. He got two of these 'checks' today, TD Financial Ltd., for $3, 985 and Standard Trust Inc. for $4, 900. The checks are fakes, of course, but without my reading glasses I would have assumed they were real.

I like the part about calling a phone number before cashing the check. Other than 'winning' a lottery never entered, the red flag is that you need to call a Toronto phone number first.

TD Financial Ltd letter: Check 'written' on an account at First State Bank of Houston Texas -- note that First State Bank is not located in Houston -- and is signed by Dianne Byers, Award Administrator. All you have to do is call Jill Avery at 647-835-1605. That's a Toronto phone number (likely a disposable cell phone).

Standard Trust Inc. Finance: Check 'written' on an account at PaineWebber in Columbus Ohio by Sunmark Capital Corporation. Someone has a sense of humor because Paine Webber was acquired back in 2000 and Sunmark Capital Corp is a smal lbrokerage in Missouri. The letter is signed by Harold ford (yes, he does not use an upper case for his last name), and all you have to do is call Mandy Hill at 647-219-4267.

Doesn't it sound great to just pick up the phone and call Jill or Mandy for instructions?

These cons need to spruce up their information -- the checks have obvious markers for fraud. And paying by Money Gram? Of course. This is one of our Homeland Security lapses because large amounts of money can be sent untraceable across borders.

Pam
Harrisonburg, Virginia
U.S.A.