A Hermantown man averted becoming the latest victim of a mail scam after receiving a letter saying, "We are pleased to inform you that you are one of the lucky winners."
While Michael Homick didn't win anything, he considers himself lucky. Homick received the letter and a check from a company called Tampa Green Consultants stating he was the winner of $125,000. All he had to do was deposit the $3,980 check.
"You draw out $2,980 (of the $3,980) and you mail it to a 'government tax agent' through Western Union and they're gonna send you the balance of the $125,000," Homick said, explaining the scheme. However, if the check bounces, the "lucky winners" would be out nearly $3,000 of their own money.
"We're always hesitant about things like this so I went online," Homick said. After a quick search, he found what he suspected; the letter and check are part of a scam.
The phone number listed on the letter is Canadian. A man answers, calling himself "John Morris." When asked for more information, he says to deposit the check in the bank before further any information will be given. When questioned further, "Morris" hangs up.
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While Homick didn't fall for it, he worried others would. "If we got one (letter), other people are getting this in town." So far, Hermantown police say they haven't received any other calls on the Tampa Green Consultants scam, but they typically get 50 to 75 scam reports
a year.
"You never want to deposit a check that you have received from an organization that you don't know," Deputy Chief Shawn Padden said.
"If you have cashed a check or you mailed money, unfortunately you're
probably out."
Recipients of suspicious mail may contact local police or the U.S. Postal Inspection Service at (877) 876-2455 and choose option 4 to report a scam.
