Counterfeit cheques in Stephenville point to international fraud scam: RCMP

Police have issued a warning after a suspected scam in Stephenville, where a woman was duped into allowing counterfeitchequestobe deposited into her bank account so she could withdraw the money and send it to a man outside Canada.

"If it seems too good to be true, or you're a little bit suspicious about what somebody's saying to you, whether it be online or on the telephone,Iwould not act," said Cpl. John Butler of the Bay St. George RCMP.

Police said a bank in the town alerted them to the "international fraudulent activity"Wednesday evening after red-flagging the cheques as fake.

"He was able to gain her trust enough that he was able to arrange to make these deposits into her account," saidButler.

"She was then supposed to withdraw money, based on the fact that they were good cheques, andforward them to him."

Butler said it's not known yet whether the 37-year-old woman is out any money of her own.

He said their initial investigation showed the man's name, possibly connected to aEuropean country, is known to police as being linked to scams in the past, and officers are continuing to look into the matter.