DeKalb Police Department warns that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

This comes from recent incidents of local residents falling prey to scam artists operating out of Canada. According to police, the perpetrators telephone the victims and tell them they have won large amounts of money (hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars) from a Canadian sweepstakes or lottery and need to send money to cover alleged taxes or customs fees.

Once the money is sent by Western Union, it is unable to be traced. Victims are badgered into giving more and more money until they will not or cannot pay, at which point the con artists then will offer their assistance to the victim if the victim will pay another fee.

Lt. Jim Kayes of the DeKalb Police Department estimated the average money lost from local victims in Maple Park and DeKalb is around $10,000 to $20,000.

Kayes offered some tips to protect residents from falling victim to this type of scam, including verifying the identities and credentials by simply calling directory assistance. If the caller is legitimate, the listing will be available.

Canadian officials are willing to work with local law enforcement, but the problem lies with being unable to attach the money to a suspect, Kayes said.

“There are so many con artists out there looking for victims,” Kayes said, adding that these crimes normally target the elderly.

If you have any information regarding these scams, the police ask that you call them at 748-8400.