By Sean O’Driscoll 

Police in the Midwest are investigating claims that a gang of Internet scammers are posing as an Irish woman who is seeking help emigrating to the U.S. 

The alleged scam, based in Illinois and near Notre Dame University in Indiana, is said to target Good Samaritans who wanted to help the woman start a new life. 

One man living eight miles from Notre Dame was recently arrested after trying to cash a check. His family say he was a victim of the scam rather than a participant in it. 

Police are currently investigating the validity of the claim and say they are keeping an open mind on the circumstances of the arrest.

The allegations came to light after 21-year-old Juan Padilla of Niles was arrested and charged with trying to pass a dud check. 

His mother, Patricia, said that her son was caught up in the scam after going on an Internet chat room last month with a woman who claimed that she was in Ireland and needed help. She identified herself in e-mails as Jess or Jessica, but her email address appeared to suggest a different name. 

In the e-mail, she claimed that she needed a place to stay in the U.S. and he agreed to help. 

She then sent him a $15,000 cashier’s check ostensibly and asked him to cash it, and to and to send on $6,500 to her for expenses and travel documents. He was to hold on to the rest until she flew from Dublin to the U.S. 

“Jessica” tried to pressure him into sending on $6,500 from his own money to her before the check was cleared. 

When Padilla went to cash the check, a staff member at a check clearing store called the police and he was arrested. 

He is free on bond and is to appear in Superior Court on December 14. A police officer familiar with the case said that they are waiting to study Internet logs and say the case may be a variation of previous Nigerian email fraud scams.