Criminals are baiting residents with promises of money, and DeKalb police are warning people not to bite.

The scam artist in a recent incidence promised easy money through an employment Web site.

The job was to survey the local market for prices on materials and send in a report to a company.

The job offer included an up-front payment of well more than the first month’s salary; but the victim would have to wire a portion of the money back to Kazakhstan.

“They’re full of gibberish,” said Lt. Jim Kayes of DeKalb police. “They’ll say there’s a vendor stateside that owes them some money and they need you to wire money back; that it would just be easier for them.”

In one case, Kayes said, the victim received the check and called the police before taking it to the bank.

The check was a counterfeit that would draw on the account of a large company that may not realize it was written until a month later, Kayes said.

The bank would see the funds were there and cash it.

“Then when they catch it, the bank comes after you,” Kayes said. By that time, the con artists hope, the victim would have already wired the money to them.

Similar money-transfer scams have the same elements: A check written for over an amount, an excuse for the overage, an unauthorized check on a valid account and a request to wire back the excess money.

Scam artists can send thousands of e-mails to people for free, and two or three people may fall for a scam, Kayes said.

They will tell people they have been selected for some fabulous opportunity, Kayes said.

“People should realize this kind of stuff just doesn’t happen,” he said.