This is an official warning to all those who receive a letter from a fictitious company called All State Financial. The letter states that you have been selected in a consumer promotion draw to be awarded the sum of $250, 000.00. This letter is accompanied by a real check of $4970.00. Unfortunately, this check will bounce because the perpetrators of this scheme have likely closed the account. The intent is to get you to send them the money for what they call a 'non-resident' tax with no intention of ever sending you the winnings.

I am one of the unlucky ones to find out the truth of the hoax. In my letter I was given the number of a claims agent (Jenna Woods-likely an alias) and was instructed to deposit the bogus check with the purpose of covering the tax on the winnings. After the check cleared I sent the money by Mailgram to a supposed tax agent (Marlene Thomas covering for Marshall Pittman) and was told that afterwards the winnings would be released and sent by a courier of my choice. The devious Jenna informed me that she would contact me as soon as the money cleared but, of course, never did so. My numerous attempts to contact her, the company, and even Marlene were all unsuccessful. I then found out today that the check was bogus and lost everything I had in my account.

At this point I am facing severe financial hardship. I have no money left in my account and lost my job three months ago due to the lackluster construction industry. I have no idea what I am going to do because neither my bank nor the police give me much hope of recovering my losses. If anyone has more information on the details of this scheme or can assist in locating the perpetrators, any help would be of use. In the meantime, I hope that this declaration will help others to avoid falling into the same trap that I did. The letter and check seem real enough but they should never ask you to send money. I hope others can learn from my mistake.