By Noelle Edwards
nedwards@salisburypost.com
A Salisbury man received two checks for a substantial amount in a FedEx package that he can’t cash.
William Evans opened a FedEx package Wednesday morning to find two very unexpected checks made out for $2,850 each. They were made out to him.
They weren’t accompanied by a letter or anything, he said, but said on the check they were a one-time payment.
The name on the checks is Wine Competition Management LLC at 1055 W. College Ave., #4744, Santa Rosa, Calif.
Evans called the bank, Bank of the West, based in California, and was told the checks are fraudulent.
Bach Khong Saeng Dao, a financial service representative at the Coddingtown, Calif., branch of the bank, said the account is fraudulent, has no funds in it, and that the checks are no good.
He said other people have called and said they’ve received similar checks.
Terry Willow, assistant customer service manager at the Santa Rosa branch, would not discuss the specifics of the account but said anyone who receives an unexpected check should call the account holder.
Wine Competition Management LLC is an actual organization, according to the Web site of the California Secretary of State. The listing on the Web site said the company was formed in 2007.
No one returned a message left on the organization’s voice mail or an e-mail message sent Tuesday.
Evans said the checks look like any other check, with a watermark and specific coloring.
The checks are signed Felicia Benson, but the sender’s name on the FedEx invoice is Brian Bates, and the address is Spring Hill, Fla.
There is no White Pages listing for either name in Spring Hill, Fla.