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Important information

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  As general information, the Better Business Bureau warns against fake check schemes. For example, some letters claim the recipient has won a lottery; others claim the recipient has been selected to work as a "mystery shopper"; and still others claim that the recipient will receive a grant or some other big payoff.
  
  The letters include checks along with instructions to deposit or cash the check and send most of the amount as directed. Usually the victim is told to send the money by wire.
  
  BBB warns consumers not to wire the money as directed, because the checks are phony. Even though the checks look genuine and may even be accepted at first by a bank or wire service, the checks are counterfeit. Consumers who send the funds as directed end up losing their own money.
  
  There are many variations of fake check schemes, and such schemes are so prevalent that the U.S. Postal Service has launched an awareness campaign to warn the public. To learn more, visit www.fakechecks.org.
  
  BBB offers these tips:
  
  * Do not rely on the money until the funds have been finally collected by your financial institution. Funds "availability" is not good enough.
  * If you have any questions about whether a transaction is legitimate, talk to your bank or credit union.
  * If you have received a phony check but did not lose money, you can discard the material. If you actually lost money to a fake check scheme, report it to the Attorney General's office in your state or to:
  
  United States Postal Inspection Service
  http://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/
  1-877-876-2455
  CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS SERVICE CENTER
  ATTN: MAIL FRAUD
  222 S. RIVERSIDE PLAZA STE 1250
  CHICAGO IL 60606-6100