Two Greeneville women say they received separate international "prize" mailings this week that they fear represent attempts to defraud them and others.

In one case, Greeneville resident Jennifer Lee said she wished to warn others who may have received similar mailings this week along with a $2,437 check drawn on a Texas bank that the check is counterfeit.

In a second case, Lorna Gosnell, of Simpson Street, reported that she received two mailings that apparently originated in England.

One mailing, on the letterhead of an organization called Harmony Lotto Prize Inc., was dated June 12 and informed her that Gosnell had been selected as the prize winner of a quarterly $250,000 award.

To receive the prize, however, the winner had to pay a "clearance fee," the mailing said.

A second letter, dated June 20, included a check in the amount of $6,875 drawn on the CITI Bank N.A. account of a Houston, Texas, firm called HMNY Finance, LLC.

The June 20 mailing, on the letterhead of a firm called Harmony Trust Finance Inc., also informed the Simpson Street woman that she was required to pay $2,995 for "government tax" before she could claim her prize.

"When the winning is processed, you will receive your final check, a lump sum payment of $243,125," the June 20 letter said.

Gosnell said she was informed to send $3,000 from the $6,875 check she received back to England to pay the $2,995 government tax.

The mailing instructed Gosnell to call a British telephone number within five days "for further clarification."

Gosnell said she made the telephone call, but did not cash the check or send any money to England.

"When it sounds too good to be true, it is," Gosnell said. "I hope no one else falls for this."

Lee said during a Tuesday telephone interview that she and her husband, Trevor, received a mailing this week that included a $2,437 check that purported to be on the Frost National Bank account of a company called QFC, Inc.

A letter that accompanied the check informed the Lees that they had won a "Jackpot Draw" held on May 17.

"You have, therefore, been approved of a lump sum payment of (U.S. Dollars) $590,000 payable to you by certified check and will be delivered to you by our special courier company," the letter said. "You are advised to contact your assigned claim agent Frances Lawson at 1-778-882-0197 Monday to Friday for further instructions on how to claim your winnings."

The 778 area code is assigned to the Canadian province of British Columbia, according to the June 2008 Embarq telephone directory.

Lee said she and her husband were suspicious, but called the telephone number.

The man who answered the phone told the Lees to cash the $2,437 check, obtain a money order and sent $2,000 of the proceeds to a Canadian address.

Lee said she didn't cash the check, but did call the Texas bank on which it was drawn to determine if there were funds to support the check.

On learning that there were insufficient funds to support the check, Lee said, she also contacted QFC, Inc., the Arlington, Texas, firm on whose account the $2,437 check appeared to have been drawn.

A representative of that company said that company had not issued the check, Lee said and asked for her help in identifying where the bogus check had originated.

Lee said she also contacted her local bank and was told by the branch manager that the bank had seen "two or three" similar checks this week.

"I just don't want some elderly person to fall victim to this," Lee said.

The fraud section of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Web site dubs mailings such as the one the Lees received as "classic prize pitch scams."

"The classic prize pitch scam involves victims receiving notification by post (mail), phone, or e-mail indicating they have won a prize (monetary or other valued item)," the Web site says.

"However, in order to collect the prize the victim is required to pay various fees or taxes in advance. Victims either never hear from the organization again or receive further requests for money. If you have won a prize in Canada there are no fees or taxes to be paid."

The RCMP Web site also offers tips for avoiding becoming a victim of such fraud. The tips include:

* keep track of contests, draws and lotteries you enter;

* challenge a caller who says you've won a prize to tell you where and when you entered;

* remember: there are no prize fees or taxes in Canada.