10:30 AM Mountain Standard Time on Friday, May 28, 2004

By Three On Your Side investigative staff

Selling your car? How about an old couch? Maybe you're running an online business?

If you're selling anything on the Internet, there's a warning you need to hear.

The Nigerian Scam is back but it has taken a different form. People selling items think they have a buyer when they really have a con artist.

Before you place a classified or close a deal in cyberspace, listen to what happened to Ellen Barker of Mesa.

Baker, owner of clocks.com, said that thanks to the Internet, she can fill orders from anywhere in the country.

"We've sent them to Utah. We've sent them to Nevada. We've sent them to Minnesota," Baker said.

But she never thought there would be a global demand. Then she received an e-mail from London, England.

"Peter Beckley and we've been corresponding since March," Baker said.

Beckley wanted 10 clocks. The total order would've been more than $3,000.

Baker got a check, but it was too much -- $27,000 too much.

Beckley said it was a mistake and asked her to refund the difference.

"So I wired it back to this bank account in London," Baker said.

The next day, Baker received a disturbing phone call from the bank. Beckley's check was apparently a fake.

"At that point I thought we've lost that much money -- $27,000," she said.

Getting nowhere with her bank or the police, she contacted a private investigator in Florida.

He managed to freeze the $27,000 wire transfer in London.

"And I was so relieved at that point that they had actually stopped the money flow," she said.

He also found that Beckley wasn't in London at all. The scam was being funneled through Europe to Nigeria.

It's a common scam that's taking people all over the country.

The 3 On Your Side team has even heard from people selling cars and furniture through the classified section at azfamily.com.

When doing business on the Internet, Baker has a new twist to an old warning, seller beware!

"Don't trust people, what they say. If you're working on the Internet, make sure the check clears before you ever refund anything," Baker said.

How do you know if you're being scammed? Well, if someone overpays you for anything and then asks for a refund, you're probably being scammed.

Also think about this, why would anyone half way around the world want to pay hefty shipping charges for your used furniture or car?