LUNA PIER, Mich. – It looks legitimate, but scammers have a new way to try to get your money.
The latest scam started with a check that claimed to be from the U.S. Post Office. The check was mailed to a home in Luna Pier. Luckily, there was one giveaway that revealed itself as a scam.
The check comes with pages of instructions. A resident received the letter, felt something wasn't right and brought it to police.
"I think when you open up something like this, you see a check that looks legitimate for $2,900, it's like, wow, you got lucky today," said Luna Pier Police Chief Brett Ansel.
This specific scam has a USPS logo at the top of the letter and comes with a realistic-looking check made out to the victim.
The instruction say to cash the check and then wire $2,400 back to the sender, claiming you would get to keep the rest, but it's a scam anytime someone asks you to send money
"If they're asking for bank account information or personal information, they've crossed the line once they start asking those things," Ansel said.
Authorities are reminding residents to stay vigilant.
"The average person probably does not fall for this, but there are ones that do," Ansel said. "Because they think they just got a big payday."
These scams frequently target the elderly and it succeeds more often than not, so it's a good idea to talk to your friends and family about scams.