And speaking of scams, this one continues to make the rounds

New scams pop up almost every day but old ones hang around too.

Last week, a York Drive woman gave The Gaffney Ledger a letter she had received in the mail that informed her she had won $250,000 from a sweepstakes in London, England.

An obvious scam, the carefully worded letter advised the woman, "For security purposes and clarity, we strongly advise that you keep your winning information confidential..."

And, the real clue, the letter included bogus information about "Federal" regulation that she'd have to wire money to the sweepstakes office to cover a "clearance fee" before the sweepstakes winnings could be released to her.

Consumer advocates say if something sounds too good to be true, it usually is too good to be true.

They also say that you should never have to pay money to get money.

The York Drive woman wasn't deceived by the letter and wanted other people to know about the scam that unsuccessfully targeted her. Others who have been deceived by similar foreign lottery and advance-fee scams lose whatever money they wire to these offshore or foreign scammers.

Often, such scams come in the mail with a realistic-looking check the "winners" are instructed to deposit into their account with a mandate they immediately wire back funds to cover taxes or fees.

The fake checks often take days longer to clear, meaning a victim's hard-earned money can fill a scammer's wallet days before the bank learns the check is fake.