Police are warning the public about a recent spate of email scams.

This follows an incident earlier this month in which a local woman advertised an item of jewellery for sale on the internet, and chose to sell it to a man from outside the UK who was willing to pay above the asking price.

He sent the woman a draft for a sum considerably higher than agreed, and asked that she forward the piece of jewellery together with a cheque for the surplus amount by return.

Fortunately the woman was suspicious and contacted the police, preventing a potential loss of ?1400 of her money.

Officers say the public should be very aware of such scams and if they have any doubt about the authenticity of cheques sent to them they should contact the police or their bank.

Anyone with information on the scams should get in contact with Constable McGreevy at police headquarters 631 212.