Mail fraud looks to disenfranchise citizens

by Bassey Etim

Thursday, March 10, 2005 00:00

In response to a new mail-fraud scheme, the Madison Police Department is warning residents to be wary of solicitations promising huge payouts.

“El Gordo” has been informing local residents that they have won a lottery worth hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash. According to a letter, the winnings have been deposited with a security company and are being held in the recipient’s name.

To claim their prize from the “Santa Lucia Security Company S.A.,” the recipient is required to send their name, personal data and bank-account numbers to the company. This information would allow access to the sender’s checking and savings accounts.

“To the best of our knowledge, everything was coming through Spain,” Madison Police Public Informations Officer Mike Hanson said. “It said Spain on the letterhead, but we truly don’t know exactly where it came from.”

According to Hanson, mail fraud is not especially common in the city.

University of Wisconsin academic faculty member Joan Kinney suggests this may be attributed to the city’s demographics.

“Generally [these mailings] do not target one part of the country over another,” Kinney said. “Because we are a highly educated metropolis, they might be less likely to try mail fraud here.”

Thus far, the police department has not received any reports of victims to the “El Gordo” scam. The department hopes its early response to this mailing fraud will ensure no citizens are duped into sending personal information abroad, Hanson added.

“Hopefully there are no victims out there yet and we’re able to thwart any effort to lure victims,” Hanson said.

Students unsure of the validity of mail they receive are reminded to demonstrate caution, especially when asked to send personal information.

Hanson said students who receive similar mailings should ask themselves of the likelihood they have won millions of dollars.

“You have a better chance of being hit by lightning than winning millions of dollars in scam-artist money,” Hanson said.

These types of payouts are usually made by a certified state lottery or casino. In addition, requests for financial information should serve as a red flag for a scam.

“There is no free lunch,” Kinney said. “Any time you receive something in the mail that is questionable, you can contact the post office or consumer-protection agency.”

Many of these schemes are not shrewdly disguised, nor do they exhibit sound logic as to why the recipient has won a vast sum of money. This is especially true of scams like “El Gordo,” in which recipients are told they have won a lottery in which they never participated.

It is also illegal for American citizens to enter foreign lotteries, and this leaves many to speculate why mail fraud remains a worthwhile venture for scam artists.

UW freshman Mark Forster suspects scam artists are exploiting an unseemly element of American culture.

“It’s because people are greedy bastards who just want easy money,” Forster said.