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635 E. High Street | P.O. Box 657 | Pottstown, Pennsylvania 19464
TIPS TO AVOID BEING SCAMMED – FAKE PRIZE WINNINGS The Pennsylvania Attorney General reports in his website that its Bureau of Consumer Protection receives over 50,000 complaints every year, many of them about financial issues ranging from identity theft to credit card and debt issues. Scams and cons are commonplace. A client of Wells, Hoffman, Holloway & Stauffer recently received an official looking notification that he had won a special lottery that included U.S. citizens selected at random. His prize was $100,000 and he actually received a $100,000 cashier’s check, seemingly drawn on a bank in Indiana. The prize notification directed him to call for instructions on how to claim his prize. When he made that telephone call, he was told to deposit the check in his account and then call the number again for further instructions. Fortunately, that’s when he called us. Naturally, we were very suspicious and suggested he bring the notification and check in to us so that we could look it over. We saw the clue to the scam in the notification. It mentioned that certain duties and taxes would be payable, in the amount of $4,600. We realized that when the client made that second phone call, he would be told to “wire” the amount of $4,600 to some bank, likely outside the United States. Since a “wire” transfers money immediately, but checks may take several days to clear or be rejected, our client would have been out the $4,600 before he was notified that his $100,000 check was rejected as a forgery. We advised him to call the police. This case had a happy ending, because our client called us for help early. We have advised a number of clients on this and other types of scams. For information on other types of scams and avoiding scams, visit the PA Attorney General’s website at http:/www.yourmoneypaoag.com/ If you see information on the AG’s website that you would like to print, and are having trouble, let us know and we will try to help.
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All attorneys of Wells, Hoffman, Holloway & Stauffer, LLP are licensed only in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. None of the lawyers in this firm practice law or give legal advice regarding any matter in any other State or Commonwealth. All information contained in this website is specific to Pennsylvania. No attorney client relationship is established by reading the information contained on this website. An attorney client relationship can only be established by direct, in-person, communication with one of the firm’s attorneys.
Wells, Hoffman, Holloway & Stauffer Attorneys at law serving eastern PA including Chester County, Berks County and Montgomery County and Philadelphia, Reading, Allentown, Pottstown, Boyertown Gilbertsville, New Hanover, Coventry, limerick Douglassville, Phoenixville, Schwenksville, East West Norriton, King of Prussia, Valley Forge, Norristown, Lansdale, West Chester, Coatesville and specializing in Business and personal law including Bankruptcy, Consumer Bankruptcy, Debt Relief & Assistance, Foreclosures , Discrimination, Communications & Media, Libel, Slander and Defamation, Consumer Law, Consumer Fraud, Criminal Law, Driving While Intoxicated, Drug Crimes, Felonies, Homicide, Juvenile Law, Misdemeanors, Parole and Probation Sexual Assault, Traffic Violations, Elder Law, Family Law, Adoptions, Child Custody, Child Support, Divorce, Premarital Agreements, Spousal Support, Visitation Rights, General Practice, Health Care, Health Insurance, Long Term Care, Medicare and Medicaid, Labor and Employment, Americans with Disabilities Act, Discrimination, Family Medical Leave Act, Sexual Harassment, Wrongful Termination, Personal Injury, Real Estate, Landlord Tenant Law , Residential Real Estate, Social Security, Social Security Disability, Taxation, Estate and Gift Taxation, Trusts and Estates, Asset Protection, Estate Litigation, Estate Planning, Guardianship and Conservatorship, Wills and Probate, Zoning, Planning and Use, Banking Law, Mortgages, Bankruptcy, Business Law, Business Formation, Business Litigation, Business Planning, Buying and Selling Businesses, Family Business Law, Joint Ventures, Limited Liability Company Law, Partnership Law, Small Business Law, Contracts, Breach of Contract, Labor and Employment, Employment Contracts, Personnel Policies, Real Estate, Commercial Leasing, Commercial Real Estate, Landlord and Tenant Law, Mortgages, Zoning, Planning and Land use.