Hello and thank you for entrusting me to answer your question. My goal is to answer your question completely and thoroughly and to provide excellent service.

You are correct in identifying this as a scam. Specifically, this scammer is operating a variation of what is commonly known as an "advance fee" or "419" scam, in which individuals are contacted and informed of sweepstakes winnings and eventually told that they need to pay a "processing fee," tax, or bank transfer fee in order to receive their winnings.

This particular scam is actually a hybrid "lottery scam" and "fake check scam." Fake check scams essentially exploit a loophole in the banking system, which is that banks are required by law to make the funds from most checks available to the account holder immediately, even before they have verified the legitimacy of the check. Scammers know this and so draft fake checks to victims and then give the victims some reason for why they need to immediately "pay back" some amount from the check.

See here for more information regarding this type of scam: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt022.shtm

See also: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/phonefraud/sweepstakes.shtml

See here for an FTC warning on fake check scams: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre40.shtm

As noted above, the check you have cashed is not legitimate. This is not your fault, and your intent was obviously not to deceive your bank, but an individual in your circumstance must notify your bank that the check is not legitimate immediately. They will remove the funds and take all steps necessary to preserve the security of your account.

Since you received this check through the mail, this scam would qualify as mail fraud, which is a federal offense. Accordingly, an individual in your circumstance should report this scam to your local FBI field office. See here for more information: http://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/

You can also submit a claim with the Federal Trade Commission's bureau of consumer protection here: https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/

In the mean time, you would be extremely wise to ignore all future communications from this scammer, as nothing productive can come from continued correspondence. Your account details should remain safe and if no money has been sent, no harm will likely arise from this ordeal.

I sincerely XXXXX XXXXX this information helps you and I wish you the best.

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