Posted: Monday, February 22, 2010 2:54 pm

 The Messenger, February 22, 2010

The Messenger has learned of an e-mail scam seeking money. The message was received over the weekend by several local residents — including one who works at the local district attorney’s office. At least one other similar scam has been reported in the area.

The incident apparently was not reported to local police, but the newspaper has obtained a copy of the e-mail.

The e-mail claims to be from a Union City woman and alleges she was traveling in England when she misplaced her wallet containing her money and other valuables. The e-mail indicates the woman needs assistance with “a soft loan” in the amount of $2,500 to sort out hotel bills and return home. However, the woman is not traveling abroad and the e-mail is a hoax.

E-mail scams are becoming more frequent and Union City Police Chief Joe Garner urges local residents to use caution when they receive anything that sounds suspicious or sounds too good to be true. They should never give out personal financial information over the Internet.

“Beware of scams,” Garner said.

For more information about Internet scams, visit the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s cyber investigations page at www.fbi.gov/cyberinvest/escams.htm.