Contact 6 offers another warning regarding foreign lottery scams



MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- Most of us would be thrilled to receive a $50,000 check in the mail -- but FOX6's Contact 6 says it depends on who it's from.

Taylor Campbell says a man she met online said he was stranded in Africa.

"He sent me a check for $50,000. He wanted me to send him a portion, and send it to him as soon as possible so he could get home to the states and take care of his dad," Campbell said.

As it turned out, Campbell was given a fraudulent check.

"They mail you a counterfeit check, you deposit the check, you wire the funds and you`re out the money," Postal Inspector Renee Focht said.

Banking regulations require banks to release funds before a check clears, but once the bank realizes the check is a fake, the victim is responsible.

"When you receive a check and sign the back of it, you`re endorsing the check. You`re saying that check is good. If you receive a check from an unknown source, don`t deposit the check, don`t wire the funds, don`t become a victim," Focht said.

FOX6's Contact 6 says there is no legitimate reason for someone to give you a check and then ask you to wire the money somewhere else. It just doesn't make sense.