Area woman scammed via Internet
If something seems suspicious, it probably is. A Carmichaels woman found that out when she met a man in an Internet chat room who claimed to be from Nigeria and tried to help him by cashing checks that turned out to be counterfeit.
The woman, who was not identified in a release from state police at Waynesburg, had several online chats with the man starting Dec. 8.
He told her he was low on money and needed help getting cash from someone in the United States who owed him money.
The woman agreed to help, and state police trooper David A. Davison said that a Sacramento, Calif., man sent her $3,000 in American Express travelers checks.
The checks were in $500 denominations, and the man instructed her to cash them at a local bank and wire the money to the Nigerian.
The woman tried to cash some of the checks at First Federal Savings and Loan of Greene County in Waynesburg, but they were held until cleared.
She was able to cash one of the $500 checks at the Shop ‘N Save supermarket in Waynesburg, and the woman wired that money to the Sacramento man, police said.
When Shop ‘N Save personnel realized that the checks were counterfeit on Dec. 20, they contacted state police, Davison said.
The checks deposited into First Federal never were cashed because the bank held them for 15 days to see if they would clear. By that time, however, police discovered the checks were fakes.
“Should anyone have a similar experience and receive travelers checks from persons they have come into contact with via the Internet, e-mail or chatting rooms, contact a local bank or American Express to determine if they are value travelers checks prior to cashing them,” Davison stated in a release.
He also said postal inspectors and police can be contacted to investigate the validity of the checks and noted that local banks have information about money order and travelers check scams.
Before the woman agreed to wire the money, Davison said the Nigerian asked her to open for him a bank account in the United States through Bank of America and send him a MAC card. The woman refused.
He indicated the woman is not being charged with any crimes because the woman paid the $500 back to Shop ‘N Save.