Lisa Cowling nearly met her match.

Fortunately, this Hamilton woman figured out the scam before it cost her more than time and aggravation.

She could have lost at least $2,500.

"We were very close to being ripped off and the police suggested I tell my story to help educate others who might fall for this scam," Cowling told us.

It all began with good intentions.

"As a homestay family, we host foreign students who travel to Hamilton to learn English," Cowling explained. "We have been working through agencies and colleges rather than trying to connect with students directly ourselves. However, we decided to post our available room on a website that supposedly helps connect families and students."

The Cowlings soon received an e-mail inquiry from a Spanish mother who claimed to live in Ireland. The mother said she was looking to place her daughter in a home in Hamilton to attend speech and language classes for four months.

"We e-mailed back and forth several times and began building a relationship. Her daughter was supposedly visiting with her sister in the U.S. and would soon come to school in Hamilton with the help of a family friend who lived here.

"We asked for a deposit of one month's rent by a certain date and I spoke with the friend on the phone. They said they wanted to pay everything up front and sure enough, by the deadline we received a cheque for the full amount, plus a substantial overpayment."

The mother e-mailed the Cowlings once again, saying she had learned her friend had accidentally overpaid. She said she knew the Cowlings were a trustworthy family and the overpayment would be returned when required."

Cowling wisely became suspicious. Warning bells were ringing and she was listening. Many folks could easily fall prey to this con. Action Line has previously written about prize-winning scams which operate in a similar manner. You receive a nice fat cheque in the mail, but are told you must pay taxes before cashing it. You fork out your money, try to cash the winning cheque and watch as it bounces.

"I then received another e-mail from the mother saying that grandma had died and she was very distraught over it," Cowling recounts. "This woman said that things weren't good for her daughter at the sister's home in the U.S. and she wanted her to come to Hamilton as soon as possible. She asked if I could send her $2,500 (the amount of the overpayment plus some additional money) to help with her expenses. I agreed, believing I would do so once their cheque cleared my bank account."

Suspicious, Cowling went online to check "homestay scams." Up came a posting from a speech and language teacher in Vancouver, who had received e-mails just like the ones Cowling had received. The names used by the mother, daughter and family friend were the same. Unfortunately, this teacher had lost her $2,500. She had deposited the (phoney) cheque, which at first appeared to clear her bank. Days later it was rejected.

The cheque turned out to be stolen from a Canadian business, as was the cellphone used by the "family friend."

"Police say these scamsters don't stop once they have the $2,500," Cowling points out. "The story only gets worse ... the daughter gets in a tragic car accident; they want the room money refunded and even try to get more financial help for the mother back in Spain. We've learned a lot of lessons and are so thankful we checked into things further before moving forward."

While door-to-door salespeople and telemarketers still manage to ensnare their share of gullible consumers, the Internet has created hundreds of new traps, which at first may appear legitimate.

Best you tread carefully when you venture into cyberspace. Don't forget the words of caution your parents or grandparents offered so many years ago.

"Homestay," by the way, refers to a stay at a residence by a traveller (especially a visiting foreign student), who's hosted by a local family.

If you have a consumer problem, call 905-526-4665 or e-mail amacrury@thespec.com. Not all calls and letters can be answered.