Advisory: Beware of Cheque Scam
We were recently alerted of a scam involving forged Unifund Assurance Company cheques. The scam involves forged letters from various reputable companies accompanied by forged cheques from Unifund.

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 Unifund policyholder or claimant and have any questions as to whether any Unifund cheque is valid, please contact your Service Supervisor or claims representative. If you are not a Unifund policyholder and want to confirm if a cheque that appears to be from Unifund is valid, please contact Eileen Burton toll free at 1-800-563-1650.