We were recently alerted of a scam involving forged Unifund Assurance Company (UAC) cheques. The scam involves forged letters from various reputable companies accompanied by forged cheques from UAC.
We have reviewed several of the letters. While the look of the letters varies, the content is essentially the same. The recipients are led to believe that they have been selected to participate in some form of survey/market research. The recipient is asked to deposit the forged cheque, keep a portion for themselves, and write a cheque for the difference to a name that is provided during a telephone call. During the telephone call, the recipient is also given instructions as to where to send the cheque.
These letters and the cheques that accompany them are fraudulent. They look credible and professional and use legitimate names; however, they are false. This is a scam intended to deceive the consumer into depositing a worthless cheque and then writing and forwarding a good cheque from the victim’s own funds to the fraudster. The recipients of this scam appear to be randomly selected.
The authorities and the other legitimate companies named in the letters are aware of this scam and it has been reported in some media. If you are a UAC policyholder or claimant and have any questions as to whether any UAC cheque is valid, please contact your insurance or claims representative. If you are not a UAC policyholder and want to confirm if a cheque that appears to be from UAC is valid, please contact Eileen Burton toll free at 1-800-563-1650.