Fraudulent use of postal money orders is on the rise in LincolnCounty.

“I hate seeing people being taken advantage of and that is justwhat they are doing,” said Serrina L. Waters, station manager forthe United States Postal Service’s west station in Brookhaven.

Companies and individuals offering lottery winnings are theprimary source of the counterfeit money orders, but online auctionsales and overseas individuals claiming the inability of cashingmoney orders are on the rise, officials said. Waters warned peopleto not be taken in by such attempts.

“If they ask you to cash it and send something back, 99.9percent of the time it is fake,” Waters said.

In one scam, foreign lottery companies are sending out lettersand fraudulent money orders announcing a lottery win. They requestthe individual cash the money order and return a portion of thefunds as payment for an insurance and tax fee via a wireservice.

“I had one lady who came in and had already cashed the $2,800and she is out the money. She has to pay the $2,800 back to thebank for the foreign lottery scam,” Waters said.

An individual who cashes a counterfeit money order or check willbe held liable for the funds.

“By the time the counterfeit money order has cleared the federalmoney system, it gets charged back to their account because it iscounterfeit,” said Guy Robinson, postal inspector in Jackson.

Along with lottery scams, individuals purchasing items onInternet auction sites are taking advantage of the use ofcounterfeit money orders and checks. They usually send a moneyorder for more than the selling price and ask for the overage to bewired back, said Waters.

Along with lottery and Internet auction scams, swindlers areusing chat rooms to prey upon the vulnerable.

People using chat rooms claim to be in the military and unableto cash their money orders and checks overseas. They offer aportion of the money as a fee for cashing and wiring the fundsback, said Robinson.

In the last two weeks, the Brookhaven west station has received12 counterfeit money orders and two checks totaling over $10,500 infraudulent monies.

“It is a big issue in Brookhaven,” Robinson said.

The United States Postal Service encourages anyone who receivessuspicious money orders or checks to bring them to the local officewhere it will be sent to the postal inspectors in Jackson.

“We process the counterfeit money orders and checks and thensend them to an investigation clearing house,” Robinson said.

In Mississippi this past year, the United States Postal Servicehas confiscated 831 fraudulent money orders with potential lossestotaling $725,000.

Many local postal clerks can spot a counterfeit with the nakedeye, but special lights can be used to identify a fake. Anyone whoreceives a suspicious money order or check is asked to take it tothe local postal office.

“Most postal employees can look at (money orders) and in aheartbeat tell that it is counterfeit,” Robinson said.