LAFAYETTE , Colo., Feb. 27 (UPI) -- A phony mail-order prize giveaway company tricked people in Lafayette, Colo., into giving money away.
The company, which mimics Publisher's Clearing House, sent award letters to several people who were told to cash their prize checks after calling a Staten Island, N.Y., phone number, The Denver Post reported Wednesday.
Several people in Lafayette reported receiving the scam letter.
The scam instructs callers to mail the company a check made out for about 50 percent of their prize money to cover expenses related to processing their winnings, police said.
"The victim has not won any money; the check the victim received in the original letter is not valid; and the victim has lost their investment," Lafayette police Sgt. F.W. Palmer told the Post.
