File photo.

PORTLAND, Ore. - International con artists are using fake checks to steal money from unsuspecting Americans.

"They look absolutely legitimate," said Susan Grant with Consumer Federation of America.  "You can't even tell as a bank teller whether or not they're real."

People who get fake checks or money orders are often told they have won a lottery or a big bucks sweepstakes and are instructed to deposit the check, pull out the money and wire it off somewhere to cover taxes and handling fees.

A new survey by the Consumer Federation of America shows one in three adults has received a fake check or money order and at least 1.3 million people became victims when they wired off the money.

"The average loss is $3,000 to $4,000," said Grant.  "So if you add it up, it's billions of dollars going out of consumers' pockets and into the pockets of crooks."

The survey also found that most people believe that when they deposit a check or money order, the bank confirms it is good before you withdraw the money. 

But that isn't true.  It can take weeks for a check or money order to be returned as counterfeit. Fall for the scam, wire off the money and you will never see it again. The bank will not give you your money back and if the check bounces and you are overdrawn, you must pay back the bank.

"And be aware that there is no legitimate reason why anybody who wants to give you a check or money order for something would ever ask you to send money anywhere in return," said Grant.

Only 2 percent of the people who get counterfeit checks respond but experts say that is enough for the bad guys to get rich.