Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Celebrations/Ape Over You recently received a suspicious letter, postmarked from Nigeria, and, after reading it, owner Joyce Conlon knew it was a scam.
The letter, addressed to the "President of Celebrations/Ape Over You" and signed in ink by "Zik Dantana," indicated that the federal government of Nigeria had misappropriated funds which were to be transferred to Celebrations in the amount of $14 million.
The money was previously held by Lebanon but the Nigerian government "no longer trusted them with the funds," the letter said. The money was to be distributed, with 30 percent going to Celebrations, 60 percent to be held by the Nigerian government, and the remaining 10 percent to be used for reimbursement if any problems arose during the transaction process.
The letter said the transaction was to be kept in confidence and was of a "top secret" nature "based on trust."
All that was required of Celebrations was a little information to begin processing applications to transfer the money. They requested the company's bank name, address, telephone number and account number. They also requested the company's name and telephone number, which were already on the envelope.
Conlon intends to take the letter to Warsaw postmaster John Rupe, and suggests that anyone receiving a similar letter do the same.
Rupe, who is aware of at least five other letters received locally in the last two years, will send the information to the fraud department of the U.S. Postal Service.
Rupe also said that anyone who receives a letter should call the Better Business Bureau to see if the company is registered.
The biggest problem with scams, according to Rupe, is that the "inspection team shuts down one and another springs up."
Rupe's best advice is: "If something appears too good to be true, it usually is."
