One of the latest scams attempted in Covington County looked so real, District Attorney Walt Merrell said even he was impressed.

A Covington County woman this week received a letter advising her that she had won a mega jackpot of $150,000. Enclosed was a check for $3,980, which the letter advised would cover the taxes due on the winnings.

“The letter said that the taxes were only $1,900,” he said, “and instructed her to call a number in Ontario, Canada, for further instructions.”

Even though the letter and check were quite believable, the woman turned them over to the DA’s office.

“We attempted to contact them by phone, but, of course, there was no answer,” Merrill said. “I’m sure they saw from the caller ID this was a state agency. Their instructions would have been to make a deposit and wire them money.”

Anyone who receives scams like this one should contact local law enforcement or the consumer fraud division of the state attorney general’s office at 1-800-392-5658 or 334-242-7335.