AMHERST – Amherst Police are notifying the public of a cheque fraud circulating in the area.
Police say residents in the area are receiving a letter from a company claiming to be Reader’s Digest. The letter says recipients have qualified for a grand prize of $826,000. Enclosed in the envelope is a cheque that is provided to cover insurance and administration fees for the large payout.
Const. Tom Wood said officers have determined the cheques to be fraudulent. Police believe the fraudsters will ask the victim to deposit the cheque into their bank account and wire the money to them via Western Union or MoneyGram.
The cheques will eventually be discovered to be counterfeit and the victim will be out the money.
Wood said the department believes hundreds of these cheques have been distributed in the area.
He’s urging anyone who receives the letter, or any letter fraud, to call PhoneBusters at 1-888-495-8501. If a victim of this scam, call police at 667-8600.
