RUMFORD – If it sounds too good to be true, it probably isn’t.

That’s what Rumford police want people to understand after a Rumford resident received some counterfeit Nigerian money orders totaling $4,000, and tried to cash them last week.

“Luckily, the bank caught this one. The money orders were counterfeit, so they weren’t cashed,” said Detective Sgt. Stacy Carter.

Carter said Tuesday afternoon that the resident called at 3 p.m. Friday to report a possible Internet scam, and mentioned the word “Nigeria.” That raised a red flag with police.

“Any scams labeled Nigeria, we look at carefully,” Carter said, citing past investigations into other such scams.

In this instance, Carter said the resident, whom he did not identify, had been chatting online with a person who was purportedly from the African nation.

Carter said that the Nigerian asked the Rumford person to cash four money orders totaling $4,000, and keep $500 for the effort.

“The resident received the four money orders via FedEx, and was supposed to cash them, and then wire the money to the Nigerian,” Carter said.

If the bank doesn’t catch the bogus checks or money orders, the money would be taken from the account of the person trying to cash them, he said.

“So, if someone asks you to cash a check or money order for them, don’t do it, because the money order or check could be counterfeit,” he said.

The scam is one that has been documented in the past with the Maine attorney general’s office.

Carter mentioned another Nigerian scam that Rumford police are familiar with, in which merchandise is shipped to someone who is then asked to ship it to a Nigerian person.

“If people have any questions, before going ahead with something like this, they should call the attorney general’s office, consumer fraud division, at 1-877-353-3771, and check into it,” Carter said.

The attorney general’s office warned of another scam in news release Tuesday. It cautioned about callers who tell people they are eligible for a government grant. To receive it, the person must pay the caller $250.

“Do not send them money, do not give them your credit card number, do not read them the numbers from the bottom of your checks,” said Attorney General Steven Rowe.

More information is available on the Internet at www.state.me.us/ag/ at the press releases page.