WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue police are investigating a scam in which people are being sent bogus checks with overages to be returned to the sender.

Most of the fake checks, which the sender claims are from the university, have been sent to people across the United States who have posted resumes on Craigslist, said Purdue police Lt. Fred Davis.

Purdue police are investigating a scam in which people are being sent bogus checks with overages to be returned to the sender.

In some cases, either an email or letter has been sent informing a person that he or she was accepted for a work-from-home position with the university and that a check would be forwarded to them. Recipients have been instructed to cash the check, keep a few hundred dollars, and send the remainder from the check back to the sender via wire transfer.

The bogus checks have been usually for $1,200, $1,950 or $2,000, Davis said. People residing in Texas, Arizona, New Jersey, Oregon and Missouri have been recipients, and with the exception of one instance reported to Purdue police, all have posted resumes on Craigslist.

Some of the checks have been sent by certified mail from a post office in Brighton, Colo., Davis said. Some of the checks have listed a Purdue address and the phone number 765-494-4611, which is to a university laboratory. The lab has received several calls, Davis said. He said other universities have reported experiencing the same type of fraudulent activity.

Davis said there are no known cases in which people have cashed the checks and lost money. Anyone receiving a suspicious check should contact the Purdue Police Department at 765-494-8221.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University police are warning of a potential advanced fee scam involving the online purchase of personal items.

According to police, a student advertised a DVD player for sale for $175 on his Facebook account. A short time later, the student received an e-mail from a person who wanted to buy it and send payment by mail.

“The e-mailer told the student he would receive a check for $2,850, and that the student was to deposit the check, take $175 out for the purchase of the DVD player and an extra $30 for himself,” Lt. Fred Davis said. “When he received the check, the student deposited it into his checking account, then sent $2,400 via Western Union to where he was told to do so.”

Afterward, the student checked his bank account and noticed he was overdrawn, Davis said.

“In these types of cases, the bank will determine that the original check was bogus in about 24 hours, and the person who made the bank transaction then becomes liable for the full amount of the bad check” Davis said.

Davis said people should never take part in a transaction involving an overage payment.

“Anytime a seller receives a check for more than the purchase price, that should be a big tip of a scam,” he said.

Davis said anyone who suspects a scam can go online to the Internet Crime Complaint Center Web site http://ic3.gov to report it and for information on current scams taking place

Anyone who has been contacted about making such a transaction should report it to Purdue police at (765) 494-8221.