Police have warned that a newspaper advertisement may be an attempt to con Bermuda residents out of large sums of cash.

Det. Sgt. David Geraghty of the Fraud Unit was contacted yesterday morning by a young woman from Paget who became concerned after responding to the ad, which appeared in The Royal Gazette on Tuesday and yesterday.

It reads: "Part time assistants wanted. Applicants must have access to the Internet and must be above 18 years.

"Interested applicant should send name and location to Toddjohnson_47@yahoo.com for further information."

Det. Sgt. Geraghty said: "As a result of my inquiries to date, I am confident that this is an 'advance fee fraud' scam. The first thing that raised a red flag was that the person didn't know where the lady was residing.

"When she told them it was Bermuda they said they ran a clothing retail firm in the UK and needed someone to handle the finances in Bermuda, as Bermuda cheques were not recognised in the UK. They needed someone locally to clear the cheques and said 'you can keep ten percent and forward 90 percent to us'."

The e-mail also told the 21-year-old recipient she could expect to earn upwards of $7,300 per month with a $1,000 per month salary on top just for cashing cheques locally.

"We understand it is an unusual and incredible job position," it noted.

Luckily, the young woman became suspicious and reported her concerns to the Police rather than getting caught out by the scam. However, Det. Sgt. Geraghty believes what would have happened next is that she would have got a large cheque — perhaps thousands of dollars — to put in her bank account. Typically, the victim sends 90 percent of the funds back to the person they are dealing with, but then discovers the cheque has bounced, leaving them badly out of pocket.

The detective said one concern raised via correspondence with the suspected fraudster is that he talked about utilising the Western Union service to send cash to the woman — when no such service exists in Bermuda.

He warned: "Be very wary when dealing with a person overseas when you cannot verify their identity. It's very difficult to trace the people behind it. Red flags include people using free email accounts such as Yahoo! and Hotmail. It's very difficult to track. Anyone running a genuine company should not be using a free e-mail account."

Det. Sgt. Geraghty said the advert in question was placed in this newspaper by someone based in the United States. That person told him he was instructed via e-mail by someone calling themselves Todd Johnson.

"I've got the name but it's going to be made up, or a stolen credit card used to place the advert," he said, adding that this means the suspect "is effectively untraceable".

The young woman who contacted the Police did not want her name to be printed. However, she told The Royal Gazette she reported her concerns after talking with her mother about the strange reply she got to her inquiries, and is relieved not to have been sucked into the scam.

"It was a lot of money for only doing a little bit of work — a few hours. It's ridiculous, and was obviously not honest money. I told my Mom 'this money is too good to be true. It's a fantasy life' and she told me to contact the Police," she explained.

Of concerns that others may get caught out by the con and lose money, she said: "I feel awful. A lot of people are too narrow-minded thinking about the money to think of the consequences. They think of the money and will do anything for it as Bermuda is such an expensive place to live. It's sad they are using Bermuda."

The Royal Gazette reported last year how those looking for love on Internet dating sites have been swindled out of thousands of dollars. Con artists posing as potential soulmates persuaded victims to cash American Express travellers cheques for them and wire the funds. However, the cheques turned out to be fakes, leaving their 'dates' badly out of pocket. At least five people fell victim, with losses approaching $10,000.

• Anyone who believes they have lost money through an Internet fraud scam should call Det. Sgt. Geraghty at 295-0011.

How to avoid advance fee frauds:

¦ If the offer of an "opportunity" appears too good to be true, it probably is. Follow common business practice. For example, legitimate business is rarely conducted in cash on a street corner.

¦ Know who you are dealing with. If you have not heard of a person or company that you intend to do business with, learn more about them.

¦ Make sure you fully understand any business agreement that you enter into. If the terms are complex, have them reviewed by a competent attorney.

¦ Be wary of businesses that operate out of post office boxes or mail drops and do not have a street address, or of dealing with persons who do not have a direct telephone line, who are never "in" when you call, but always return your call later.