Prize Scam Ends In Fraud Charges

A scam that enticed 1,300 people into sending $39 each to collect bogus $50,000 prizes ended with the arrest of a man accused of sending the fake notices out by certified mail.

Robert William Gordon III of Atlanta faces federal fraud charges for allegedly sending 1,400 letters telling recipients that they had won $50,000 and just needed to sign a certificate and send a check for $39 to collect.

Responses poured in from 38 states, Attorney General Winston Bryant said. Recipients probably thought the letters were genuine because they were sent via certified mail and contained an impressive looking certificate.