The latest scam traveling quickly across the country is preying on the young, the elderly and the unemployed.

The scam is targeting those who are in desperate need of money and it's that need that makes us sometimes overlook when someone is trying to take advantage of us. Here's how the scam works, according to mystateline.com:

You'll be sent a check that looks very real, and the scammers will ask for you to deposit the check and send them a specific amount from your bank account. The BBB warns that this is where the scam is. The check will bounce and you will be on the hook for the money.

"Having the money credited to your bank account does not mean the check is good," Dennis Horton, Rockford BBB

Your bank will make those funds available to you right away, but once they discover the check is no good, they come after you for the money. If you get one of these scams in the mail, contact the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

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