A man trying to sell his Orangeville restaurant told police he was approached and offered a cash deal, with a catch.

The money, he was told, had been shipped out of an African nation and, for security reasons, had been chemically altered, making it look like blank paper. The victim was told the cash had to be treated with a special chemical to be restored, and they were taken to a hotel room in Aurora and given a demonstration of how the bills could be converted. They were told they needed to supply their own money to pay for the chemical process. When all was said and done, they were left with blank pieces of paper, and were out $165,000, according to police.

York Regional Police executed a search warrant on the couple's Brampton home last month.

It is a common scam, according to police.

"It happens quite a bit," said York Det. Const. Joe Tanczos. He said police want to hear from anyone who has fallen victim to such a fraud. It sometimes goes unreported, he said.

Janet Chudeu, 37, and her husband Armand Chudeu, 34, have been charged with fraud over $5,000 and possession of forgery instruments.

Tanczos can be reached at 1-866-876-5423, ext. 6622.