A Mattawa man did not fall victim to a cheque scam popular among con artists trying to part people from their hard-earned cash.
The man was selling a set of speakers on Kijiji when a person offered to buy them.
The buyer sent the seller a cheque but the problem was the cheque was made out for an amount $1,500 above the selling price.
When the seller contacted the buyer about the overpayment, the buyer asked him to cash the cheque and that his daughter would be by to pick up the difference as well as the speakers.
The seller took the cheque to the bank but fortunately, the employees were able to tell him the cheque was a fake so he never cashed it and didn’t lose any money.
OPP have some simple questions people should ask themselves if they run into a similar incident.
They say people should ask themselves why someone would overpay for an item.
If your first instinct is a scam is in the works, stay with that because you are very likely right.
Police also advise against accepting a cheque for an amount that is greater than the agreed upon price and if you do, don’t wire or give the overpayment back to anyone you don’t know.
Police also suggest visiting the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre website for tips on recognizing scams and how to avoid them.
Another scam took place in North Bay involving a fake $100 American bill.
On the night of March 30th, a man believed to be 18 to 24 years-old paid for a restaurant order with a $100 bill.
After he left, the employee became concerned about the quality of the bill.
It wasn’t until April 1st that the bill was shown to the North Bay police who confirmed its counterfeit status.