Police chief warns of scam

By Bobby Horn Jr.
news@casscountynow.com

It may come as no surprise that scam artists are working through social media sites such as Facebook.
Atlanta Police Chief Jay Womack said recently his department has been contacted by residents who say they have been contacted through Facebook about persons wanting them to send a sum of money to receive a sum of money.  
“This is a scam,” Womack said. “You will lose the money you send if you fall for this scam.  The chances of the police department being able to recover your money are slim.  Please do not fall for this scam.”  
Womack said that Identifying these individuals are almost impossible. “These individuals could be in other states or even other countries,” he said,
The Better Business Bureau offers tips on how to identify sweepstakes/prize scams:

Money is required up front. Beware of any prize notification requiring taxes, shipping, administrative fees or other fees be paid upfront. It is not the prize promoter’s responsibility to charge the winner for tax; they will just report your winnings to the Internal Revenue Service and the IRS will bill you for the appropriate taxes.

Are you asked to wire money? Many times scammers will instruct you to wire money to cover the fees before you receive your prize. Once you’ve wired money there is very little chance of getting that money back. In this specific scam, the scam artist would arrange for a representative to pick up the advance payment. 
If you feel threatened in any way, contact your local police department.

You can’t win if you didn’t enter. If you do not remember entering a sweepstakes or contest, you most likely have not won a prize.

Read the rules and regulations. If it is a legitimate contest that you won, there should be rules and regulations or a description of contest entry details. Review the rules for inaccuracies or inconsistencies.

Be cautious of look-alikes. Scammers often use names of government agencies and well-known organizations to lend credibility to the situation and give you confidence in the winnings claim.