HONOLULU -- There is a new variation of an Internet scam now hitting Hawaii. Nigerian scams are back. This time, they are targeting senior citizens.

It starts in chat rooms, where the senior citizens can find friendship over the Internet, police said.

For one Hawaii man, the friend he thought he had found turned out to be a companion of crime.

"A Honolulu gentleman was on the Internet with a young lady; talking with her for about six months, making friends," Honolulu Police Department Detective Alex Garcia said.

Garcia is part of HPD's financial fraud section. He said it was not long before the woman made a request.

"She said, 'In Nigeria, they don't accept U.S. money. So, would you cash the checks for me?'" Garcia said.

She sent the man five postal money orders for $950,000 each. When he tried to cash them, he discovered they were counterfeit.

There is a similar story for an 80-year-old woman.

"She received the check in the mail -- I think they come FedEx -- went down to try to cash it, sent him the money, in this case to Nigeria, and then found out the checks she deposited were no good. That was for about $2,000," Garcia said.

Nigerian scams have been around for a while. Previously, the scams asked directly for money. Now, they are taking advantage of some of the community's most gullible and vulnerable, preying on senior citizens with checks that look authentic.

The police are warning the public to be cautious of anything from Nigeria. They said not to send money without verifying with whom you are dealing with, and make sure the checks are good.