Woman duped through 'real estate scam,' loses $1K

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A 48-year-old Manning woman is out $1,000 after a check scam, according to a report from the Manning Police Department. The woman told police about noon Oct. 9 that she attempted to cash a check in the mount of $2,980.65 at a local check cashing agency, an employee of which found the check to be fraudulent. The woman told police that a man going by the name of Alex Jacob Williams out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, texted her, representing himself as a real estate broker. He allegedly asked her to make an investment with him to purchase a home. He then provided pictures of the home. Williams allegedly asked the victim to send $1,000 by Western Union, and once he received the money, he sent her a check from EA Engineering Science and Technology Inc., with a check number of 72029, made out for $2,980.65 in the victim's name. The woman did not have a bank account, so she tried several places. At the final store, an employee could not cash the check, so the employee called the alleged company and spoke with a representative who told her the check was fraudulent. Manning Police Chief Blair Shaffer has frequently said that "if it sounds too good to be true, it is." "Don't ever send anyone money for a promise of money," he said. "No one is going to send you double what you sent them. That's not how the world works."