AIKEN, S.C. - An Aiken teenager saved himself thousands of dollars and possibly some jail time by catching an Internet scam before it was too late.

Eric Bishop, 18, put his dirt bike up for sale on an Internet web site. He was excited when he got an offer, but Monday he found out it was too good to be true.

"The check was made out for $4,200, I sold the bike for $1,200,” Eric said.

Eric received a check via UPS express mail overnight.

He thought he had sold his dirt bike to a "Nicole Jones" online; the check he received was from someone else.

"It kept becoming more and more strange and finally it didn't add up at all,” Eric said.

Not only was the check from someone else, the signature on the check didn’t match the name.

“Overall there were four different names, which really just threw me off,” Eric said.

The check was also a business check, something “Mautofied,” the site he posted his ad on, warns people not to accept.

These are some of many red flags that lead Eric to believe he was being scammed.

The sender also gave Eric instructions to take his portion and send the difference of $3,000 to London. The $3,000 was for a freight or shipping service.

Eric’s father Preston Bishop says it didn’t make sense.

“They’re going to spend $3,000 to ship it some place? It’s not worth that. Why can’t they just buy a bike where they are?” Preston said.

Preston says he’s glad his son didn't fall for it.

"He would have been out the $4,200 and the bank or the authorities could have blamed him fraud, when he had nothing to do with the whole thing,” Preston said.

Eric says he hopes it doesn’t happen to anyone else.

“I feel stupid for doing the whole thing, but I feel kind of smart that I caught it,” Eric said.

Preston says he’s got one smart son.

"He's kind an unusual young man, and I'm very proud of him,” Preston said.

Viktoria Lagger is an Internet Scam Expert with the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office. She says Internet scams have increased dramatically this year.

“More people are using the Internet,” Lagger said. “Paying your bills online is easier.”

Lagger says people can pretend to be anyone so it’s very important to limit what you put online.

The FBI has put out a fraud alert list to keep you from getting ripped off by scammers.

If you say yes to any of the following questions you may be victim of an Internet scam.

1. Is the CHECK for an item you sold on the Internet, such as a car, boat, jewelry, etc?

2. Is the amount of the CHECK more than the item’s selling price?

3. Did you receive the CHECK via an overnight delivery service?

4. Is the CHECK connected to communicating with someone by email?

5. Is the CHECK drawn on a business or individual account that is
different from the person buying your item or product?

6. Have you been informed that you were the winner of a LOTTERY,
such as Canadian, Australian, El Gordo or El Mundo, that you did not
enter?

7. Have you been instructed to either “WIRE,” SEND” or “SHIP” MONEY
as soon as possible to a large U.S. city or to another country, such
as Canada, England or Nigeria?

8. Have you been asked to PAY money to receive a deposit from
another country such as Canada England or Nigeria?

9. Are you receiving pay or commission for facilitating money transfers
through your account?

10. Did you respond to an email requesting you to CONFIRM, UPDATE
or PROVIDE your account information?

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