Sweepstakes scam reported

The Lewis County Sheriff’s Department in Monticello has received several complaints of a sweepstakes mail scam that is going around Lewis County.
The letter recipient is told he or she is the winner of a large sum of money. The letter says the person was entered in the sweepstakes automatically by making purchases at Wal-Mart, Sears or other department stores. It contains a fake check to be used for paying a “Canadian tax” on the winnings.
The sheriff’s department reported this is a scam and an attempt to gather personal information to defraud the victim. The recipient is advised to not reply and to contact a law enforcement agency immediately if the victim has been defrauded in any way.