Lottery Scam Hits Tri-Cities

Monday, April 09, 2007 posted 11:38 AM EDT

PASCO, Wash - A Pasco man said he was sent a 2,600 dollar check by a fake lottery group.

Paul Brunner went to his mailbox Saturday afternoon and found the check with a written statement that said he won thousands of dollars, but first he needed to cash the check and send the organization money to pay for fees. Then in return they would send him over 50,000 dollars.

Brunner has worked as a Pasco City Reserve and in other law enforcement agencies for over 30 years. He said although the check was tempting, he knew something was wrong.

Brunner said he went on the Internet to do some research and discovered information claiming that lottery group, Deltec Financial and Trust Services was a scam. There were reports of other victims throughout the country.

The company said they are located in the Bahamas. Brunner said, "This just doesn't seem right. All the sudden you get a check in the mail for 2,600 dollars and you think, there is something wrong with this."

Pasco Police Officer Tom Ninemire said there is no easy way to make money. He said, "Anything of this nature, a check that claims says you have won a lot of money look into it and do some research."

Police said he did the right thing by not cashing the check.

Ninemire said there are many different kinds of check scams and said that the paper used by criminals keeps getting better and harder to detect. He encouraged people to contact police if they have any questions or concerns.

Brunner said he wants other people in the Tri-Cities to be warned.

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