A local couple smelled a rat when someone tried to pay $2,000 more than the asking price for a pair of stereo speakers they had advertised for sale in a buy-and-sell magazine.

Grey County OPP said the Grey Highlands couple received an e-mail from someone who wanted to buy the speakers for $500. The whole transaction was "pretty routine" according to police, right up to the point when the individual said he would mail them a money order as payment.

Things took a strange turn when payment was received. It was a bank draft in the amount of $2,500, a full $2,000 more than the purchase price. The buyer sent another e-mail requesting that the excess cash be forwarded to a person in Paris, France. That is when the couple decided to report the matter to police, avoiding being taken in by a common scam.

Officers confirmed with a local branch of the bank involved that the bank draft received was a fraudulent and worthless document. The transaction wasn't completed and the goods weren't forwarded, so a potential crime was foiled.

Grey County OPP is continuing to investigate.