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Date Posted: 23:39:10 01/03/04 Sat
Author: Janet
Subject: Net cheque scam finds first victim in province

Net cheque scam finds first victim in province
Woman conned out of £1,600

By Paul Dykes
newsdesk@belfasttelegraph.co.uk

03 January 2004
POLICE in Northern Ireland have uncovered a new internet scam that has already tricked users out of substantial sums of cash.

The warning follows an incident in Limavady in which a woman was conned out of £1,600.

The woman advertised a dog for sale and was contacted by a would-be purchaser who sent on a cheque for £2,000.

This amount included £400 for the dog and £1,600 for shipping fees.

The woman wired off £1,600 of her own money to a third-party account to cover the shipping.

However, the would-be buyer's £2,000 cheque was later returned from her bank unpaid, with the effect that the woman lost her £1,600.

Police investigations have revealed a Nigerian connection, though this was not immediately apparent in the e-mails that were exchanged.

"This particular fraud is believed to be new to Northern Ireland, but has been reported in other parts of the UK," a police spokesman said.

"In this case, a dog was the subject of the supposed sale, and the fraudster took time to build up trust with the seller over a series of emails.

"Other high value goods, particularly cars, have been the subject of scams in Britain.

"In these, self-proclaimed brokers have replied to advertisements in newspapers and magazines. They offer to buy the goods for delivery to Africa and then pay with a cheque for an amount in excess of the agreed price.

"When the sellers deposit the cheques they initially clear and they repay the difference to the fraudster via money transfer organisations.

"Only when the cheques are discovered to be stolen or forged do the sellers realise they have been duped and they are out of pocket for the amount sent.

"We would urge people to be wary of dealing with unknown individuals or organisations over the internet.

"Our general advice is that people should not part with money for something they cannot be sure of getting, and never, ever send money on to unknown third parties."

Anyone who believes they have been the subject of such a scam should contact their local police station.

"Always remember, if something looks too good to be true, then it usually is."

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