DeKalb police are asking citizens to be on the lookout for online counterfeit scams from abroad.

At least five incidents of counterfeit scams involving U.S. Postal Service money orders have occurred in DeKalb County in the past month, police said Tuesday.

Cases of the online “Nigerian scam” have existed for years, often involving a con artist claiming to require the victim’s assistance in transferring large amounts of money.

The scams usually begin online, where con artists are constantly on the prowl for victims in chat rooms and dating-service sites, or where people advertise items for sale, DeKalb Police Lt. Jim Kayes said. There, they can establish relationships with potential victims to advance the scam.

Police said the victim is sent counterfeit money orders, usually written for $1,000 each, and told to cash them. Many banks honor the fakes and tender the cash to the person.

The con artist will ask the person to wire the money or portions of it back to him or her, usually to foreign countries. The victim then finds the money orders were counterfeit and is left to foot the bill.

A victim’s chance of recovering money is “zero,” Kayes said.

“It’s like it falls into a black hole,” Kayes said.

Several security features on authentic money orders can help distinguish them from fake ones.

A microfiber security thread reveals the letters “USPS” in alternate directions when held to the light, and a watermark of Benjamin Franklin also appears on a genuine money order. A fake has no watermarks, or it has a crude outline of the watermark.

Anyone with concerns about possible scams is asked to call police.

For more information on U.S. Postal Service money order scams, visit www.usps.com/postalinspectors.