Message claims to be from office of the attorney general
THOMAS NOVELLY
@TOMNOVELLY
The attorney general is not asking you to pay back taxes on millions of dollars you just won, sorry.
A letter circulating that appears to be from the office of the attorney general — complete with an official-looking seal, a photo of the attorney general and a fake signature — is asking people to pay state taxes on a $5.5 million prize they’ve won from “American Family Publishers” citing the “Money Monetary Law” as the reason to pay.
“The fact that these scammers are impersonating the very office working to shut them down is beyond belief and shows the extent they are willing to go to scam Kentuckians,” Attorney General Andy Beshear said in a statement.
A Louisville resident sent the money, and then alerted the attorney general’s office, according to a statement released Friday.
The so-called “Money Monetary Law” applies to legal citizens who reside in Kentucky and receive a lump sum payment equal to or greater than $500,000, and instructed the resident to wire transfer $10,000 to an unknown bank account, according to a copy of the fake letter.
Beshear said the “Money Monetary Law” does not exist and that the Internal Revenue Service and his office do not work together to collect state income taxes for prize winnings, as the letter claims. The office of the attorney general is working to secure the Louisville resident’s money. Beshear said the best way to identify a prize scam is to know that legitimate sweepstakes do not make you pay a fee in order to win, and that includes paying taxes and shipping or processing fees.
To report a scam to the Office of the Attorney General, dial 888-432-9257.
