Wednesday, March 7, 2007

Grand jury indicts Plano man with mail fraud and making false statements in used car sales

A federal grand jury in Dallas indicted Massoud Mortazavi-Koupai of Plano with six counts of mail fraud and three counts of making a false statement on transfer of a used motor vehicle, related to a fraudulent scheme which included concealing structural damage and odometer discrepancies. It is anticipated that Mortazavi-Koupai, 46, will surrender to federal authorities and then appear before a U.S. magistrate judge.

Even better, enclosed was a letter that stated McCullough “has emerged as one of the winners of the Deutschland International Lottery Programs” through a ballot system drawn out of 8 million participants. It further explained that all she had to do was cash the check they sent to her, send a “North American Agent” working for a company called “Citi Trust Subsidiary of United Trust Corporation” a $5,600 sponsor’s fee, and then she would be sent the $56,000 she won in the lottery.

Sound like a scam? Well, it is. And fortunately, McCullough quickly figured it out before losing a lot of money.

“Other people must have gotten the same thing,” McCullough said. “It’s scary because the check looks so real.”

The check looks real because once upon a time it was, sort of, said an employee at Newtown Savings Bank in Trumbull, Conn.

... Full Story

Check looks real -- but it's a scam

Grand jury indicts Plano man with mail fraud and making false statements in used car sales