A mail scam left a local woman in trouble with the bank for cashing a bad check.  Ironically the woman works the post office.  According to the report filed with the Wilkesboro Police, the woman received a letter in the mail from Varian Securities telling her that she had won a sweepstakes prize of 50,000 dollars.  Enclosed with the letter was a check written in the amount of 3,950 dollars.  The woman was instructed to cash the check, send back 2,450 dollars to cover taxes for the winnings, and then she would be sent the remainder of the prize…46,050 dollars.  She took the check to the North Carolina State Employees Credit Union and cashed it.  She then called the number on the letter and spoke with someone named “Rick” who advised her to send 920 dollars to someone in New York and to send the 2,450 dollars to someone in Maryland.  A few days later, she was contacted by the Credit Union who advised her the check was fake and she owed the Credit Union 3,950 dollars.  Wilkesboro Police and Western Union are investigating.  (additional) The Better Business Bureau estimates that billions of dollars have been lost as the result of fake check scams.  According to a recent survey by the Consumer Federation of America, nearly one-third of adults have been approached by a scammers with fake checks and at least 1.3 million people have fallen victim to the scam with an average loss of $3,000 to $4,000.  Fake Check Scams typically require the victim to deposit a check into their bank account then wire money back to the scammers. While the check may initially be deposited into the victim’s bank account—leading to a false sense of security—the fake check will ultimately be discovered by the bank.  The victim of the scam is out whatever money they sent to the scammers and will be responsible for paying the bank back if their account is overdrawn.  For more information go online to the Better Business Bureau at www.bbb.org .