If it’s too good to be true, it probably is.

That phrase may be a cliché, but it is full of wisdom especially in hard economic times when con artists are thriving and in some cases are harder to detect.

“There was a Soldier about six months or a year ago who received a check in the mail. It looked legitimate,” said Diane Sarber, Fort Gordon Army Community Services’ chief of financial, relocation and community services. “He called the Better Business Bureau, and everything he researched showed it was legitimate.”

However, it was not.

Sweepstakes, foreign lotteries, work from home and other fake check scams are on the rise, and Fort Gordon is taking steps to help Soldiers from being swindled. Sarber said even some scammers faked stimulus checks.

The scams are all similar; the recipient gets a check and is requested to mail back a portion of it as a handling fee. The check is bogus, but the thief gets the money you sent back.

“Nearly one-third of adults have been approached with fake check scams and at least1.3 million have become actual victims. With an average loss of $3,000 to $4,000 per consumer, billions of dollars have been pocketed by fake check scammers,” according to the results of a Consumer Federation of America survey.

Sarber said the Fort Gordon Credit Union now questions the deposit of large checks “particularly if they are going to withdraw funds quickly.”

Sarber said they ask the depositor if the person knows the company or individual who sent the check.

“Then, they’ll say ‘let’s just let it sit for two weeks,’” she said.

If it’s bogus, then the Soldier won’t be out hundreds or thousands of dollars in a handling fee.

Unfortunately, prosecuting people who perpetrate these fake check scams is difficult. They are usually out of operation and have moved to a different location by the time law enforcement catches up with them, said Sarber.

There is a lot of lack of education when it comes to this problem.

“Compounding the problem is consumer misunderstanding. Fifty-nine percent of the respondents in CFA’s survey incorrectly believe that when you deposit a check or money order, your bank confirms that it is good before allowing you to withdraw the money. The number goes up to 70 percent among young adults age 18- 24, and 71 percent of people with incomes under $25,000 and who did not complete high school. More than 40 percent of those surveyed do not know that they are liable if the checks or money orders they deposit or cash are counterfeit. Fifty-two percent age 18-24 and half of Hispanics incorrectly said the person who gave you the check must pay the bank back,” according to a news release from CFA.

The organization offers a few consumer tips.

-Never pay to claim a prize. Legitimate sweepstakes would not ask for a fee.

-Never pay for a grant from a government institution or foundation.

-Never agree to cash a check and send money back as a part of a job working from home.

-Never agree to wire money to someone you don’t know.

-If it seems suspicious, check it out.

For more information, visit the website, www.fakechecks.org.