Police were too cute by half to catch any real criminals with a dubious sting operation that went down Wednesday.

Twenty cops from 13 police agencies set up a sweepstakes scam in an attempt to catch 472 people wanted on outstanding property crime warrants in Androscoggin, Franklin and Oxford counties.

A Rumford detective spent more than a year organizing the sting, which netted exactly zero criminals.

Police sent out a mailing to the wanted individuals announcing an “End of Summer Giveaway” by Sting Sweepstakes Control Center of Boston. Sting Sweepstakes, a tip-off perhaps?

Maybe police were auditioning their targets for a new episode of “America’s Dumbest Criminals.” They even used other police jargon as part of their promotional material. The gambit backfired, and it’s the police who look foolish.

The Tri-County Property Crime Task Force, which used about $2,000 in federal grant money for the operation plus police time, isn’t the first to try the tactic. It’s worked in other places.

But it’s also a well-known ploy. If the targets of the sting weren’t sharp enough to catch the 10-codes or the “Sting” in the sweepstakes name, perhaps they watched a 1997 episode of “The Simpsons.” In “Lisa the Skeptic,” a sign outside the police station screams: “Boat Giveaway Today.”

“I mailed these bogus prize certificates to every scofflaw in Springfield,” Chief Wiggum brags, according to a “Simpsons” episode guide at www.snpp.com/episodes/5F05. “When they show up for their free motorboats, we arrest them and beat them to the full extent of the law.”

Our police weren’t giving away motorboats. Instead, they offered a new truck, plasma-screen television and a four-wheeler.

Homer, the dimwitted lead character of the cartoon, falls for the ploy. He’s nailed for 235 unpaid parking tickets. Even after getting stung, Homer is slow on the uptake. “Lucky for you I’m double-parked,” he says. “Now, can I please have my motorboat?”

Apparently, criminals in Maine aren’t so slow. Or maybe they just watch “The Simpsons” and recognized the plot.

It’s good that police are taking property crimes seriously, and we applaud their dedication to catching criminals, but this yearlong sting was a waste of time and money.

The police tried to be cute, and it cost them – and us.