Fraud Alert

Check Fraud Alert!

Protect Yourself Against "American Sweepstakes Prize," "Legal Affidavit" or Similar Announcements Containing Fraudulent Checks.

Waste Connections has learned that fraudulent copies of bank checks appearing to be from Waste Connections and other companies have been included in mailings from what appears to be a criminal network. Letters in these mailings claim to be processing either (1) lottery winnings for the "American Sweepstakes Prize pool" or similar-sounding contests or (2) settlements from class action lawsuits filed on behalf of victims of fraud.

We have been advised by law enforcement authorities that these letters and checks are fraudulent and part of a criminal scam. To our knowledge, no such sweepstakes or lawsuit settlement actually exists. Waste Connections has no connection with any such letters, entities, sweepstakes or settlements. Any Waste Connections check included in such a mailing is a fraudulent, unauthorized fake, and will not be honored. You may receive similar mailings including checks from other companies that are also fraudulent.

What to Look For

These letters look legitimate and may contain any of the following:

Letterhead from official-sounding sources, such as the "International Clearing Commission House," the "North American Commission House" or the "Law Office of Barclay & Day LLP".
Checks from unrelated companies, like ours, with logos and signatures that make them look real.
Working phone numbers that are answered by real people.
Lots of official-looking reference numbers or case numbers, official-looking bar codes and official-looking signatures.
Requests that you send money or provide information before you receive anything in return.
Vague references to "federal" and "international" laws or "privacy policy agreements" without further details.

How Can You Protect Yourself

If you notice any of the elements listed above in a suspicious letter you receive, consider verifying the legitimacy of the letter by taking the following steps:

If you have access to a computer or know someone who does, perform a web search for the name of the company, law firm or sweepstakes appearing in the letter. If nothing comes up, or if information comes up warning you of the scam, this may be an indication that the letter is fraudulent.
If the letter contains a check, independently verify the contact information of the company whose name appears on the check (such as through the phone book, a web search or directory assistance), and call the company to verify whether the check is legitimate.
Show the letter and check to your bank manager and ask your bank to verify their authenticity before you take any actions. Tell your bank manager why you are suspicious so that your bank will take extra care to verify that the check is authentic.
Keep in mind that calling the number in the letter and talking to whomever may answer should not be considered a safe method of verifying the letter's authenticity. Many of these numbers are cell phone numbers set up and monitored by the criminal networks circulating the letters.
Never send any money or disclose any personal information in response to such a letter unless you are certain of its legitimacy. It is simply not worth the risk.

What Steps Have We Taken

We cannot disclose all of the steps we are taking because we do not want to tip off the perpetrators of this scam, but Waste Connections is working with U.S. and Canadian law enforcement authorities, as well as outside counsel in Canada, to have the phone numbers referenced in these letters shut down. In addition, we have alerted our banks of this scam and instructed them not to honor any such checks. We are also informing recipients of such letters and checks who call us of the nature of the scam.

Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact us directly by clicking on the "Contact Us" tab on our website or by calling us at (916) 608-8200 and advising us that you are calling in connection with the "check fraud scam".