http://www.myeyewitnessnews.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=1422B74B-B02B-4DB8-8919-84B6F4FC0D80Eyewitness News Scam Stoppers uncovers a sweepstakes scam that might force one Mid-South woman into bankruptcy. The letter said the woman had won $250,000, but after she spent some of the cash, her bank told her the check was no good.
Vivian Armstrong was hoping to finally get rid of the stack of bills on her desk after she got a letter in the mail that claimed she won $250,000. The company, Cates Financial, first sent Armstrong a check for about $4800.
Then Armstrong was supposed to send back a check for $2900 to cover the taxes. She would then get a check for the rest.
Armstrong said, “A lot of people win sweepstakes. A lot of people win money, so I was thinking it was a blessing from the Lord and I actually did win this money. I was gonna pay off a lot of debt, also friends and family, and I was going to make a donation also to the church.”
Armstrong deposited the check, and her bank gave her a notice that the money was on hold for ten days.
Armstrong said, “The bank actually cleared the check, so after almost two weeks, I’m thinking everything's okay and I'm actually a winner, that I actually won the money.”
That's when Armstrong sent the $2,900 back through Western Union and took out some spending money for herself. That's when the bank decided the check was now bad, and Vivian Armstrong had another bill to add to her already giant stack.
“They giving me ten days to pay this money back,” said Armstrong.
Armstrong has no idea how she is going to come up with that kind of money.
”I wouldn't get it, and I wouldn't have it. The only thing I know I would have to go under bankruptcy,” she said.
Eyewitness News tried calling the manager of Armstrong’s bank, the Bank of Bartlett, to find out how this could have happened and why she has to pay it all back. Our calls were not returned.
We also tried to call Cates Financial Services, the company that sent Armstrong the sweepstakes letter. We got a voice mail message that said the mailbox was full.
