MIDDLETON- When Lynda Walker got a check in the mail for $20,000, she thought it was too good to be true.

"Your heart goes oh wow I've got money but then when you look at it, you know it's a fraud," Walker said.

The Better Business Bureau says potential scam artists come out of the woodworks during tough economic times. They've seen a huge spike in people calling to report mail fraud. BBB President, Dale Dixon, worries people may fall victim.

"They see it as an opportunity to get some extra money and they're not as careful as they would be during more prosperous times," Dixon said.

He says there are two types of schemes. One's called "Secret Shopper." The other is called "Foreign Lottery." They're splashed with labels like American Idol, PacifiCare and McDonalds.

"Here it says sweepstakes winner. I don't enter sweepstakes, but maybe somebody does and they would automatically think well I won," Walker said.

Here's how it works. The BBB says someone will send you a bogus check for thousands of dollars. They'll ask you to deposit it and wire most of it back to them. In the letter, they tell you to keep what's left over. Except, that bad check will never clear and the money you wired back to the company comes out of your pocket.

"They're sick individuals. They should be in jail and never get out again," Walker said.