GREENSBURG (KDKA) – A state police supervisor from the Greensburg barracks was the target of a scam.

Officials say the corporal got a letter earlier this month saying he had won $250,000 in the U.K. lottery. The catch though is that he never played the lottery and the lottery doesn’t exist.

The letter was accompanied by a check for $3,980. It asked him to wire $2,980 in taxes to a particular place using a Moneygram or Western Union.

The letter said that once the tax money was received, he would get the rest of his $250,000.

The check looked authentic. Authorities say it had a Bank of America logo, water marks, routing and check numbers and even a security code.

Police say these scam letters are sent to thousands of people in targeted areas in hopes that a few will bite.

The corporal did not fall for the scam, but wants to get word out to others that our area is currently being targeted.

Once you wire the money, there is no way to get it back. Also, the check that was sent to you will bounce, leaving you out of that money, too, if you already spent it. You will also be responsible for bounced check fees.

In addition, police say it is very difficult to investigate these crimes because they cross state lines and in many cases originate on other continents out of their jurisdiction.

The best safeguard against scams like this one is to remember, you can’t win a lottery you didn’t play.