Published: July 22, 2008 12:22 pm         

7/22 - GBI issues scam warning

OAKLAND - The Garrett Bureau of Investigation is advising citizens to be on the lookout for a sweepstakes scam in the mail.

An Oakland resident recently received a check for almost $5,000 along with a letter that stated she had won $250,000 in a shopper's sweepstakes, according to the GBI.

The letter, which requested that the check be deposited into her account and used to pay "applicable government taxes," instructed the resident to send nearly $3,000 by Money Gram or Western Union after calling for an address, according to the GBI.

GBI detectives determined the letter to be a scam and the check to be counterfeit.