Marva Brice Hale, of Baldwin Borough, recognizes a phony sales pitch when she hears one.

So does Jack Hodak, of Shaler.

And so does Gayle Griffiths, of Stanton Heights.

They are three of eight consumers who contacted me this week after receiving calls or letters from con artists.

Fortunately, they didn't fall for any of their schemes. They asked me to warn readers who might be contacted by these crooks.

Before we get started, memorize these five words: All foreign lotteries are illegal.

OK, let's begin with Mrs. Hale, 62, who takes care of her five grandchildren.

She received a form letter -- and a check -- from "Universal Rewards and Trust Co." that claimed to be located in Ontario, Canada. It was "pleased to inform" her that she was one of the "declared winners of the DE Loto North American Sweepstakes Lottery on Shoppers Promotion" purportedly held Oct. 28.

It said she was one of 32 persons whose names were selected by "a random computer ballot system" that processed more than 500,000 names.

"Enclosed is a check for $4,875 US Dollars which has been deducted from your winnings. The sole purpose of this first check is for the payment of applicable government taxes on your big winnings.

"Government taxes cannot be deducted from the winning amount because of insurance bond policy coverage. The tax amount is $2,875 to be paid by Western Union or MoneyGram directly to the tax agent. Please do not attempt to use this check until you call."

And here's the "don't-tell" warning that should be a red flag to every consumer who receives one of these "you've won" letters:

"We urge you to keep this winning confidential until your claim has been processed and your cash remitted to you as this is part of our security protocol to avoid double winnings or unscrupulous acts by nonparticipants taking advantage of this program.

"You are advised to contact your claim agent immediately for further classifications as indicated below within 10 business days." It then identifies that person as a "Steve Collins" and provides a phone number.

I've quoted extensively from this letter so readers, especially elderly readers, will recognize it for the scam that it is.

Mrs. Hale, 62, called the "claim agent" and asked why she had to send him $2,875. She said he answered: "Because of all the running around we have to do."

"I told him I knew it was a scam and that I was going to call the police," she said. "He hung up on me."

She said she called me because "I got to thinking about poor people who receive something like this and believe it."

If consumers deposit one of these "basketball" checks in an account that already has enough funds in it for them to wire the crooks the money they asked for, they will lose two ways:

The check they received in the mail will bounce because it's no good and their bank may charge them a fee, and they will lose the money they wired to the crooks.

Jack Hodak, 77, a retired Pittsburgh Parking Authority cashier, received a similar letter. It said he won $1.5 million dollars. It offered to send the money to his bank account if he would provide that information. Of course, if the crooks got that information, they'd use it to empty his bank account.

The letter also cautioned Mr. Hodak not to tell anyone about his "winnings."

"They make it sound so legitimate, but I didn't fall for it," Mr. Hodak said.

"We knew right away it was a scam," said his wife, Judy.

Gayle Griffiths, 84, a retired interior decorator, said a man with an Indian accent called to tell her he had a package for her from overseas that he hadn't been able to deliver.

"I asked how much it would cost me," she said. "When he said $405, I told him he was out of his mind and hung up on him. He called right back and said they could send it for half that amount. I laughed at him and hung up.

"There are a lot of gullible people out there, but they got the wrong person this time. I thought I'd call you so you could warn people about this scam. I hope nobody fell for it."

Me, too.