Sweepstakes Scam Alert: July 2009

Have you recently received a letter and a check from someone saying that you have won a sweepstakes? It is a scam.

Identify fraud is a growing problem impacting us all. Today, organizations like the American Kidney Fund are increasingly targeted by criminals who would use our organization’s good name as a front to promote a variety of “Sweepstakes Scams.” The goal of these scams is to entice you to call a claim agent. The scammers will do this by enclosing a fake check made payable to you, but indicating that you must first talk to the agent before cashing the check. Once you are on the phone with the claim agent, he or she will attempt to obtain your personal identification information. That is all they are after.

We have recently learned that criminals are sending out letters to the general public with fake checks bearing the American Kidney Fund logo. The letters claim that the individual has won a sweepstakes and needs to call a phone number to claim the full amount of the prize. Do not make the call. Do not cash the check. Instead, report this scam to your local police department right away! If you have any questions, please call Barry McFarlane at the American Kidney Fund at (301) 984-6660 or send him an e-mail.