PORTLAND, Ore. - With the economy in such bad shape and people really needing money, we are seeing a surge in fake check scams.

The scam can be run in a number of different ways:

• You may get a letter in the mail or via e-mail that says you've won a foreign lottery and just need to pay a small tax.
• You've been chosen as a secret shopper and need to test out a particular wire transfer company.
• You may be selling something online and the buyer sends you a check for too much and asks you to send back the difference.

"They look really convincing," said Jan Margosian with the Oregon Department of Justice.  "They also will pull names of real businesses out of telephone books and put them on there.  So when people check to see where the check is from, it's a real business and then they really think it's a real check."

In nearly all of these cases, a bank will cash the check.  However, weeks later, when the bank discovers the check is a fake, you are the one on the hook. 

So what can you do?  Here are some tips:

• Know who you are dealing with and never wire money or cash a check from someone you don't know.
• Report the scam to the Federal Trade Commission by calling (877) FTC-HELP or visiting their Web site.
• Contact your state's Attorney General Office.  For Oregon, click here.  For Washington, click here.

The bad news is that it is nearly impossible to presecute any of these scammers, who usually operate outside of the country.