How do I know if this sweepstakes is real?... it came with a check.?

I applied for a sweepstakes in a store a few months back. I recently received a sweepstakes announcement saying that I won approximately $75k. It came with a check for approximatey $4k. The letter said that since the sweepstakes is an international sweepstakes, I would have to pay taxes to the Bahamas (which is where this is allegedly based out of). I took the enclosed check to my bank and was told it was legitimate. A phone number was given to me to call an Assigned Payment Officer in Canada, to arranged the payments ofthe taxes of the prize. Can someone tell me if this is real?

How do I know if this sweepstakes is real?... it came with a check.?
It's a scam.
Reply:DO NOT DO ANYTHING WITH THE CHECK! I recently worked at a bank and what you have explained is exactly one of the many scams out there. They send you a large check and then you get it and send them money back for taxes or fees. By the time the check comes back fradulent, you are out that money that they ran away with. It is totally fake!
Reply:From the Consumer Fraud Reporting Website:


A typical fraud uses these checks to accompany a letter stating that the recipient "won" a lottery. The "winner" is instructed to cash the check and send most of it bank via a Western Union Money Gram or Postal Order, to "pay taxes" or "delivery fees", etc. The victim cashes the check, and wires the money. By the time the fake check bounces, the scammer has receive the money gram (which is irretrievable). The victim now owes his bank for the full amount of the fake check AND may be arrested for passing a bad check and fraud.





If you receive a check in the mail that you are not expecting, DO NOT CASH IT!
Reply:This occured to me, and my girlfriend, and I'm but it's a scam. I do not know if it is the same people that ran the scam that me and my gf almost fell for, but it sounds like it.





We recevied a check for the amount the taxes were, and we were suppose cash that check and send it to cover the taxes. We called the people they explained that we needed to send the majority of the amount to them to release the remaining money. They said they were on the better business bureau for Canada but they were not, and the other thing was after looking it up the address they sent from where the company was, was in IL in the USA. It ended up they were the power company. What they are asking you to do is commit check fraud the bank will cash your check you will send them the money, and you will be the one that has commited the illegal act. What happens is you are taking money from well in my case was a big power company and by the time they came after you, you would have spent the little bit that wasnt required for "taxes" and the rest as already been taken by the scam artist. I m sorry to be the one to break it to you. I strongly suggest you dont do it.





We almost did it ourselves, and we spoke with the company that was supposely issuing the check, and they were very upset and thanked us. We also received a $100 dollars for reporting it to them. Good luck.