‘You’re a big winner’ check scams plague NYers

The check is in the scam! New Yorkers are receiving letters trumpeting that they are winners of the “Supermarket Customer Sweepstakes Raffle Draw” — and their prize is a cool $880,000.

The congratulatory missive includes a realistic-looking first payment check of $8,000 and requests a processing fee of $7,000 to release the remaining “payout.”

But the golden ticket is nothing more than a tease and suckers who buy into the swindle also get stuck paying bank fees after the award check doesn’t clear.

The letter assures that a “bank certified cashier’s check for the [prize] is already purchased in your name and awaiting authorization for release.”

In the first nine months of 2021, the Federal Trade Commission received 3,856 complaints from New York consumers about “prize/ sweepstakes/lottery scams,” said Jay Mayfield, an FTC spokesman.