Freeholder Liaison: Christopher D. Rafano
Department Head: William Deinzer
E-mail: consumer@co.middlesex.nj.us

 

Middlesex County Consumer Affairs Alert Middlesex County Consumer Affairs is warning all consumers of a recent lottery scam. Individuals receive a notification letter from various companies in North America indicating they have won an international sweepstakes, and have been approved to receive very large sums of money. In some cases the amounts are as high as several hundred thousand dollars. The letter explains that the winners were randomly selected through a computer ballot system from a pool of names throughout Europe, Asia and North America. The way the scam works: Enclosed with the award notification letter is a check worth several thousand dollars. The winner is instructed to deposit that check into their personal checking account, which is then to be used to pay the taxes on their total winnings. After the bogus check appears to have cleared, the winner is then instructed to forward a personal check for the same amount deposited back to the sweepstakes company. Upon receipt, the company will forward the balance of the winnings to the consumer. Several days later, the consumer is notified that the check was counterfeit and now the consumer is responsible to pay back the total amount of the check to the financial institution. The United States Postal Service and the Department of Consumer Affairs are advising consumers to NOT cash or deposit these checks. In the United States, consumers should remember - every lottery you have to pay for is illegal. If you receive one of these offers you can contact the U.S. Postal Service Mail Fraud at 1-800-372-8347. Consumers can mail a copy of the letter and check to: U.S. Postal Services, 222 South Riverside Plaza, Suite 1250, Chicago, IL 60606 or visit their web site at: www.usps.com/postalinspectors. The Canadian Fraud System may be reached at 1-888-495-8501 or www.phonebusters.com. If you have any questions or concerns, you may contact the Middlesex County Consumer Affairs Office at 732-745-3875. When in doubt, always remember: If it looks too good to be true - it usually is.

 

Celebrating its 30th Year, the Middlesex County Consumer Affairs office has become widely recognized and respected as a leader in consumer protection and an integral part of the Middlesex County Law Enforcement Network.

As an arm of the Attorney General’s Office, Consumer Affairs is empowered to enforce NJSA 56:8-1 et seq. (The Consumer Fraud Act). All staff members are trained, tested and have passed all courses required by the Attorney General Office and are certified.

The Middlesex County office handles complaints from individual consumers against local businesses. Since each county is responsible for its own residents, this office provides this service to the approximately 776,000 residents of the county as well as all businesses in the county.

In contrast to the Better Business Bureau, which charges a fee for consumers to file a complaint and has no legal authority or power, the Middlesex County Consumer Affairs Office never charges a fee for any service rendered to consumers. The cost to taxpayers for the services of this department is about the cost of a postage stamp. For 41 cents per person, each resident is given a "Consumer Protection Insurance Policy". Whenever a consumer is experiencing difficulty with a business, contacting the office can result in savings and returns of thousands of dollars.