The FBI in Honolulu is warning the public about a work-from-home scam that involves victims receiving counterfeit checks.

The FBI said there has been a recent uptick in complaints about a scam where someone who responds to a work-from-home ad is instructed to deposit a check and wire a portion to accounts controlled by defrauders.

The intention is for the wire transfer to go through before the bank notifies the victim the check is worthless.

In one instance, a Kauai woman refused to send the wire transfer and received a threatening email claiming to be from an actual agent in Honolulu. The email included a photo of the special agent. She contacted the FBI, who confirmed the email was a fake.

The FBI believes these scams originate from Nigeria.