While most of Philadelphia has been trying to get over the pain of the elimination of the Eagles from Super Bowl contention by the Cardinals (the Cardinals?!), scam artists have been looking for ways to turn Pittsburgh Steelers gold into real gold… Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett has alerted consumers to be wary of potential scams surrounding the upcoming Super Bowl.
Currently making the rounds is a bogus Super Bowl contest notification. Corbett’s office has received complaints about a scam letter informing consumers that they have won a prize of $100,000 and two tickets to the Super Bowl. The contest implies endorsement from NFL and Visa.
To claim the prize money, consumers are urged to cash a check (actually counterfeit) for several thousand dollars in order to pay the taxes associated with the prize. Then, consumers are asked to wire money to a ‘claim agent’ who will verify their winnings. Only, as Corbett points out, “consumers who try to claim their prize by sending money to these scam artists will quickly learn that there is no $100,000 jackpot, there are no Super Bowl tickets, and the check they were given to pay the taxes will eventually be returned as counterfeit or forged.”
Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. A prize for doing nothing and the taxes to pay for it all? Even Oprah doesn’t go that far.
So, be careful out there. If you’ve been the victim of a crime and wish to file a complaint or if you need additional information, contact the Attorney General’s Office by calling 1-800-441-2555 visit www.attorneygeneral.gov.
(Of course, the real Super Bowl crime is that I had both Roethlisberger and Warner on my Fantasy Football Team and didn’t even finish in the top three. Pish!)
