You receive a cheque coming from West Africa or another foreign country. Beware! It's not a generous donation, it's a scam!

The fake cheques scam is a type of mass marketing fraud that is very popular among scammers. They send you a counterfeit cheque and ask you to return part of the money to them. But before your bank realizes the true nature of the cheque, you've already sent away the money. The money you deposited into your account is not only lost, but you may also have to pay a penalty to the bank for depositing a bogus cheque. Many of these scams originate from West Africa.

Unfortunately, everybody can become a victim of the fake cheques scam. Scammers will make up stories and tell you lies in order to convince you to deposit the cheque and return a portion of the money to them. Here are some examples that illustrate the methods that are used by fraudsters to lure you in their trap:

Criminals use emails and chat rooms on the Internet to get in touch with you. They use a fake identity and benefit from the anonymity of the Internet. They can chat with you for weeks, and even months to establish a relationship of trust. They will tell you that they are doing humanitarian work in a foreign country, or that they are offering you the chance to work from home and make good money.

Criminals also use the ads posted on the Web to get in touch with you. They will send you a cheque for an amount much larger than your asking price and will ask you to send them back the extra amount.

Criminals use the names of legitimate organizations to make you believe that you have won a prize. They tell you that you have won a large amount of money, but that you have to pay certain fees to receive your winnings. They will ask you to deduct these fees from the cheque that you will receive.

Criminals can also get your personal information from a prior fraud. Let's say you filled out a sweepstake or lottery coupon that, unbeknownst to you, is not legitimate. The information that you have given out can be shared between several criminals who are all trying to steal from you.

Criminals have preferred forms of payment. They will never ask you to send them money using a personal cheque. The three most common forms of payment used by criminals are:

• Cash
• Postal money order
• Wire transfer (by companies specializing in electronic funds transfers)

• Never Send Money!
• Be careful when filling out sweepstakes coupons for a contest or draw. Make sure the company is legitimate.
• Never answer lottery ads for which you have to pay fees or taxes to receive your prize. Legitimate lotteries never ask winners to give money to receive their prizes. In Canada, it's illegal!
• Never answer unsolicited calls, letters or e-mails. If the message comes from a stranger, do not answer.
• Be vigilant when engaging in a conversation with someone on the Internet. You have no way of confirming their identity with certainty.
• If you place an ad on the Internet, do not accept payment for an amount higher than your asking price.
• Be vigilant when you receive a cheque. Criminals use the names of banks, financial institutions and other entities issuing cheques. Whether it is a cheque, traveler's cheque, gift cheque or postal money order.

Ask yourself this question: Why would a complete stranger send you a cheque out of the blue? Beware! It's a scam!

If you ever receive a cheque as described above, bring it to your local police department immediately.

• The Canadian Anti-Fraud Call Centre (PhoneBusters) at 1-888-495-8501 or visit their website at www.antifraudcentre.ca.
• The Centre of Operations Linked to Telemarketing Fraud (COLT) at 514-939-8304 / 1-800-771-5401 or visit their website at www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/.
• The Competition Bureau Canada at 1-800-348-5358 or visit their website at www.competitionbureau.gc.ca.
• Your local police department.