Beware of bargains that seem to be too good to be true. Because usually they are.

Recently The Logan Banner was made aware of a new scam that's hit the local community.

A regular reader said she was telephoned recently by a caller who identified herself as "Cora" who said she would sell her a subscription to The Logan Banner for $7.

According to Logan Banner circulation personnel, there is no such person working for them and the calls appear to be just another scam attempting to target the public, using the name of the paper to perpetrate it.

The Logan Banner asks that if you are contacted by people claiming to sell subscriptions at a bargain price that you take their phone number and contact the newspaper at 304-752-6950.

It's not the only scam floating around in our area, however.

Seniors on medicare may be victims of identity theft and not even aware of it.

The West Virginia Senior Medicare Patrol is urging all medicare beneficiaries to scrutinize their Medicare Summary Notices and bills from any medical providers.

“If you have just received a bill for a medical service you did not receive, you may be the victim of medical identity theft,” a press release said.

“With money tight, scam artists are getting even more creative.”

Here is how it works: Health insurance information can be used by criminals to receive hospital treatment, acquire prescription drugs, get a reduced doctor visit rate or collect money from false insurance claims.

Unfortunately, medical identity theft is hard to uncover, the press release said.

Some people find out about it through debt collectors, while others are clued in when insurance investigators warn them of the problem. Victims can also be tipped off by receiving a strange bill for services or catching an error in their medical file.