TROY (WWJ) -- Police are investigating after a Troy resident was targeted and then threatened by a scammer.
Back on November 30, the victim said he began receiving emails and phone calls informing him that he'd supposedly won the lottery, and that he needed to pay a $3,100 processing fee to collect his prize.
Recognizing that it was a scam, and not falling for it, the victim told the suspect that if this was real the fee would jusr be taken out of his winnings.
The suspect responded by telling the man that he'd be getting a check in the mail.
Several days later,, the victim received a package that contained a check for $3,100, police said.
The victim took the check to his bank and reported it as fraudulent. But, in a twist, the bank informed the man that the check was real and was linked to a valid checking account.
The bank contacted the owner of the account who said that they did not
write or authorize the check.
After the victim got home, he began receiving phone calls from
the suspect demanding the money from the check and threatening to show up at his house if he didn't provide the money.
On Dec. 15, the victim reported the incident to Troy Police, who are investigating.
In general, it is advised that if you get a phone call, text or email from someone you suspect may be scammer, you should ignore it and not engage.
If the suspicious communication appears to be from your bank or credit card company, do not call the phone number or visit the any links provided by the potential scammer. Instead, call the phone number on the back of your credit or bank card and ask for guidance.
As for lottery scams: If you didn't play the lottery, you didn't win, and no...you never have to pay a fee to collect a lottery prize.
Recently, the Michigan Lottery warned the public about scams like this one involving crooks who claim to be lottery agents or prize winners. Get more details on these scams, and how to avoid becoming a victim, HERE.
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