New Canaan police are making locals aware of a suspicious-looking solicitation made in the name of a company calling itself “U.S. Airlines” after a town resident reported receiving a letter that appeared to be a scam.
The typed letter reflects some characteristics typical of scams—creating a false sense of urgency, for example, referring to a mysteriously sudden “award,” using slippery language such as “retail value of this award is up to $1,375” and coming from a company whose name and logo closely resembles that of a trusted outfit (in this case, U.S. Airways).
Specifically, the message congratulates the recipient for qualifying for two “round-trip airline tickets” valid “anywhere in the continental U.S.”
The letter reads: “We have attempted contacting you several times without success. This is our final attempt. If we do not hear from you soon, we may need to issue the ticket vouchers to the alternate.”
Police Chief Leon Krolikowski said he contacted the company and was told it’s a promotion among travel agencies.
According to a news story by trusted travel company Fodors, the so-called promotion is widely seen as a scam and has caused concern for U.S. Airways. Apparently, Fodors.com members who contacted the company were told they needed to attend a presentation for “travel membership” packages of vacation clubs “with sign-up fees upwards of $7,000, before they would be eligible to receive the tickets.”