A new variation of an old scam has popped up in the northern Panhandle. Dawes County Sheriff Karl Dailey and Chadron Police Chief Tim Lordino say both of their agencies received calls from local residents Monday about a suspicious text message.

The message, from the gmail account wiclif114 and supposedly from a U-S soldier in Afghanistan, begins “Can I trust you?,” identifies the sender as “Sgt Clifford,” and asks the recipient to email them.

Chief Lordino says an initial investigation indicates that anyone responding gets more messages in which “Sgt Clifford” says he’s found a bunch of money, is keeping it in a safe place, and is willing to share it with the person getting the texts if they’ll help him get it to the U-S clandestinely.

Lordino calls it a “Nigerian-type” scam that eventually asks for personal information and monetary payments, which would lead to losing the money and a strong likelyhood of identity theft.

Sheriff Dailey says the first 4 words of the first text…Can I trust you…should be enough to ring alarm bells when coming from an unknown subject, as should “Sgt Clifford’s” description that he’s serving with “Squadron Battalion,” a non-existent military designation.

Both Dailey and Lordino say to ignore and erase the message, and under no circumstances to respond to it. They also say to contact local authorities anytime you get a suspicious e-mail, fax, or text and to remember that if a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is.