A local resident is warning people to be on the lookout for scam artists after receiving a fraudulent check.

Shelli Ivester, manager of the Griffin Stadium Cinemas, received the check in the mail on June 13.

“It just came in the mail,” she said.

She opened the envelope and the check fell out. She read the accompanying letter and immediately knew it was a scam.

“The contents of the letter stated that I had a lottery ticket from Niagara, New York,” she said. “I’ve never been to Niagara, New York.”

There were other things in the letter that did not make sense, like the amount of tax being too low for the amount of money she had allegedly won, the fact the letter asked her to send money to cover said taxes and although the check had been mailed from Canada, it drew on a California bank.

Ivester wanted other people to be aware of the problem of fraudulent checks. She said anyone can be taken in by this kind of scam.

“I just want to make sure people knew stuff like this was going on,” she said.

Griffin-Spalding Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Bonnie Pfrogner had advice for people who mysteriously receive checks in the mail.

“If it isn’t anything they really are familiar with, they need to check it out thoroughly with law enforcement or even a local bank, she said.

She also suggested calling the Atlanta branch of the Better Business Bureau at 404-766-0875. She said to remember the adage that if something is too good to be true, it probably is.

“Don’t ever hesitate to check on things you’re not familiar with,” she said. “I really can’t stress that enough.”