A Mandan woman told police that she thinks she was a victim of an Internet scam.

Mandan Police Deputy Chief Dennis Bullinger said the 39-year-old woman told police she met a Nigerian man on an Internet dating Web site for single parents. The man told her he had a child sick in the hospital, so she wired him $200, Bullinger said.

Monday, the woman received four $850 United States Postal Service money orders from the man, who gave his name as Raymond Mark, Bullinger said. She took the money orders to the post office, and she was told that they were counterfeit, he said.

She said she had recently wired another $200, and she wasn't able to stop payment on it, Bullinger said.

The money orders had the name Raymond Mark on them with an address out of Lodi, Calif., Bullinger said. However, they were mailed from Nigeria, he said.

"It's typical of a number of scams that are done that way," Bullinger said. "It's a good thing she went to the post office."

Bullinger said the money the woman wired can be traced to where it went, however police may not be able to identify who receives the money.

It's not a good idea to send money to someone you've only met on the Internet, Bullinger said. "Absolutely not."

- JennyMichael