Regina Police are warning people in the city about an overpayment scam that has shown up in the city.

The crooks get to the victims online using kijiji or usedRegina - the victim gets sent an information package and a cheque that is much more than the promised wage.

The victim is then told to cash the cheque, keep some of money as a wage, and often they are instructed to spend some of the money at a local store as part of their “secret shopper” duties.

The victim is then told to send the rest of the money to another person, often overseas.

But the cheque bounces, and the victim is on the hook for the repaying the amount of the cheque.

Kaeli Maddill, spokesperson for the Regina Police Service said this “overpayment scam” is common.

“The bad part is that this scam is perpetrated everywhere in North America. And the money is being sent sometimes to Canada, sometimes the U.K., in the States. There’s plenty of stories out there of people falling victim to this scam.”

Maddill was reminding people that if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.

“In reality, if you’re getting an overpayment cheque, you’re being asked to transfer that money to an individual that’s unknown to you, it’s a scam.”

Regina Police are reminding people that this is not how a legitimate company conducts its business, usually an in-person meeting is required and they should never ask someone to pay someone else through an overpayment.

Regina Police have ongoing investigations into 8 victims of the scam so far, and they’re asking anyone who has been a victim or thinks they might have been to contact them at 777-6500 or to go to the front desk at the police station at 171 Osler street any day between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.

Edited by CJME's Lisa Schick.