Scam alert

TOCCOA - The Stephens County Sheriff&#39;s Office is warning of two scams that have recently victimized people in the Toccoa area recently and might show up elsewhere in northeast Georgia . <br> <br> One case involved the winning of a lottery/jackpot that the person receiving the phone call did not enter, but was told they won. The caller asked that the &#34;winner&#34; send money to guarantee delivery of the winnings. This money, the sheriff&#39;s department says, was to be sent to Europe - and will never be seen again.<br> <br> The second incident involved a person who befriended another on the Internet. After several communications through chat rooms, the con artist convinced the victim to accept a check or checks from a third person, cash them, keep a portion of the proceeds and mail the rest via Western Union to the new friend in Nigeria. A few days later, the bank called and said the checks were counterfeit and the victim has to pay back the bank, including what was kept and what was wired to Nigeria.<br> <br> The sheriff&#39;s office stresses these scams go on everyday. The Nigerian connection is almost always a part of the overall conspiracy. <br> <br> Investigators emphasize you don&#39;t have to pay anything to claim a prize and no legitimate concern is going to send you a check, ask you to cash it, keep some of the money and sent the rest to them.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2005/8/127985