Journal-News.com

HAMILTON — Hamilton police are worried that an Internet scam may hit close to home.

Former Butler County Sheriff Richard Holzberger alerted the department to the scam. He said he received an e-mail asking him to cash traveler's checks and send the money to a company in Ghana and then keep a percentage. He thought the scam was a harmless Internet rumor.

Until the checks arrived in the mail.

Five checks totaling $2,500 were in an official envelope. Public Information Officer Dave Crawford said Holzberger was smart enough not to try to cash them because of his experience in law enforcement, but not everyone would be.

"This looks too legit," Crawford said. "After a while, (the checks) will come back bounced — and that's on the person being scammed."

Holzberger, a former Hamilton councilman, said he alerted the department in hopes that people wouldn't fall victim to the scam hoping for easy money.

"If it sounds too good to be true, it probably isn't true," he said.

Crawford said the department would alert the post office to the scam and proceed from there.

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2190 or jrinaldi@coxohio.com.