Victoria Police Department Chief Keith Phillips asked residents to be on the lookout for a scam that asks people to send large sums of money in order to claim a false check.

Phillips said he was notified that a resident received the scam, which was delivered by mail, and that Victoria Police was able to intervene before the situation got out of hand.

According to an image of the scam provided by Phillips, the organization sending the letter, W.H. Ferer Financial Trust Inc., makes the claim that the recipient of the letter won second place in a sweepstakes and was awarded $450,000.

The letter comes with a false check of $4,500. In order to receive the full amount of money, the organization asks that the recipient pay a processing fee of $2,100.

Phillips said this is the only copy of the scam that the department has been aware of in the area.

“If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is too good,” Phillips said. “Trust your gut and report it to the police, and let us determine if it is bad or not.”

If residents are concerned that they or a loved one have received a scam, or have been victims of a scam, they can report the scam to Victoria Police Department at (434) 696-4452.