Target of a scammer? Follow rule of thumb: If it sounds too good to be true ...

There is always someone out there looking for a new way to take your money.

Over the last couple of months, money scams have increased; and while most people are recognizing these scams before it is too late, some are finding out the hard way.

Here are some of what the most recent scams have included: being notified from a place claiming to be publishers clearing house letting you know you have just won $25,000! All you have to do is pay the fees and taxes up front in the amount of $2,500 and then you will get your check in the mail. If only it were that easy to make $25,000. They take your check and you never hear from them again.

Then there is the one that most people fall for. You get a letter in the mail or a phone call telling you that the Sheriff's Office has been trying to serve you a paper and has not been able to get ahold of you. Now you only have 24 hours to pay a fine or a warrant will be issued for your arrest. Some people have paid this "fine" even though they have no idea why they would be getting a paper served to them. Any time someone tells you to pay a "fee" or you will get arrested, call the Sheriff's Office.

Then there are some more elaborate scams like a listing on Craigslist or some other internet site that lists "work from home" jobs. Some wealthy person is moving to your area and they have already found a house or apartment but need someone to take care of the deposit and rent and make sure it is clean and ready to move into before they arrive. The ad says you will receive a check from their business for $2,000. All you have to do is put it in your bank, mail a money order in the amount of $750 to the "company" they are renting the house from and you get to keep the rest for your trouble and cleaning services. The only problem with this deal is that the $2,000 check you get is fake but by the time this is discovered, you have already sent a money order of $750 from your bank (which is real) and sent it to the person scamming you.

It is amazing how much thought and effort someone will put into taking someone else's money when they could have put that work and talent to some type of constructive work to make their own money.

Donald Trump said, "Sometimes your best investments are the ones you don't make." If it sounds too good to be true, there is a good chance it is.

My rule of thumb is, if someone wants you to send them money so they can send you more money back, it is most likely a scam.

If you believe you have been a victim of a money scam or have been targeted for any type of scam, please contact the Vernon County Sheriff's Office at 417-283-4400.