PUEBLO, Colo., USA -- A 42-year-old Pueblo woman was conned out of $3,000 and could have lost another $2,000 if the bank hadn't alerted her that the cashers checks she was depositing were phony.

The woman told police she was contacted via e-mail by a man who said he was starting a research center in the United States and wanted her help in bypassing red tape.

The man told the woman he would sent her cashiers checks which she could deposit in her bank account, keep 10 percent, and wire the remainder back to him in Ghana.

The woman received 10 cashiers checks for $500 each and deposited them in her savings account and then wired the man $3,000. She was about to deposit four more checks for $500 each when she was notified the cashiers checks were fake.

The woman turned the checks over to police, but there is little hope she will get her money back.

The cashiers check scheme is common, according to authorities and people who sell something on the Internet are usually targets. A person in another country contacts the seller and tells them they will buy the item but must send a cashiers check for a larger amount. The scammer tells the person to wire back the difference.

It usually takes two to three days for cashiers checks to process and by the time the scam is revealed, the person has already wired the scammer money.

Here are a few tips to prevent becoming a victim:

Meet the other person face-to-face.

Demand the exact payment agreed upon.

Do not accept overpayment. Send back original funds.

Wait for any check or funds from the other person to clear through the bank.

Confirm the validity of a money order with the U.S. postal service or the company that issuing company.

Do not be intimidated by threats of the suspect going to the FBI.