Grey County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is reminding residents of a fraud known as the "over-payment" scam, after a fraudster attempted to scam a Georgian Bluffs man out of $1560.

The victim, who had posted a set of tires for sale on KIJIJI for $350, received a cheque in the mail for $1910 from a potential buyer in the USA. The victim was instructed to cash the cheque and turn over the remainder of the cash to the person who would be picking up the tires. The victim recognized this to be a scam and contacted police.

Residents should be aware that there are different variations of "over-payment" scams. Typically, it is the type of fraud where the person receiving the cheque is actually owed money for goods sold. The seller receives a counterfeit cashier's cheque, personal cheque or corporate cheque from the "purchaser" in an amount in excess of the amount owed; is asked to deposit the cheque and wire the excess funds immediately back to the sender/purchaser or the purchaser's agent or shipper; and, the deposited cashier's cheque is subsequently returned as counterfeit and charged back to the seller's account.

Anyone selling goods should be suspicious of any cheque, especially if it is for more than the agreed selling price.

To protect yourself against this sort of scam, never agree to a deal in which the payer wishes to issue an amount for more than the agreed price and expects you to reimburse the balance.

The scammers use a variety of excuses to explain the overpayment, but any such excuse should be treated with the utmost suspicion.

Learn more, visit the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) at www.antifraudcentre.ca or contact them toll free at 1-888-495-8501.

source: media release, Grey County OPP