CONTACT

Barbara Read / VP/Communications Director
Mountain States Better Business Bureau
Telephone: 970-224-4222 / 800-564-0370 x118
Email: media@mountainstates.bbb.org

Local Residents Told "You've Won More Than $3 Million!"

In your mailbox sits the key to a fortune. Your neighbor probably has the same opportunity. In fact, thousands of people just like you are being offered the chance of a lifetime.

In the last week, Colorado and Wyoming residents report receiving "winning prize certificates" for more than $3 million dollars. But before you attempt to claim your prize, take a deep breath and recite to yourself, "If it's too good to be true, it probably is ..."

The certificates are being mailed by Lapham, Vargas & Cornell, a Las Vegas-based company that does business under a number of names, including Las Vegas Nevada Actionable Award Program and Selective Award Citation Organization/America. The company has an unsatisfactory rating from the Better Business Bureau because of one or more unanswered complaints.

The company sends out a credible-looking certificate, complete with an official seal. The title reads "You are Definitely Sworn to Secrecy." The phrase "Absolutely Confidential" follows. There are additional warnings interspersed throughout the document such as "Tell Nobody."

The certificate informs the recipient that he or she has won more than $3 million. All they have to do is pay a $20 processing fee. To lend credibility, the document lists the names of three other "winners," all of whom have collected their millions.

The Mountain States Better Business called the phone number listed on the report -- 702-000-0312 -- only to hear the recording "your call cannot be completed."

Here are some red flag tips from the BBB:

• You aren't required to pay anything if you win a prize, drawing or sweepstakes. If the company insists, tell them to deduct it from your cash award.
• If you haven't entered a contest, it's highly unlikely that you've won anything.
• Check with the BBB before doing business with any unknown company.

For additional information about sweepstakes and their legitimacy, contact the Mountain States Better Business Bureau online at www.mountainstates.bbb.org, or phone the BBB at 970-484-1348. It's just good business!