HONOLULU (AP) - The FBI reports that some con artists have taken a total of $500,000 from six Honolulu law firms since the start of the year.

The special agent-in-charge of the FBI's Honolulu office, Charlene Thornton, said Monday that the scam begins with a law firm receiving an e-mail from a prospective client from overseas.

The client then sends the firm a cashier's check for a legal-fee retainer in an amount far exceeding industry standards.

When the law firm informs the client that the retainer is too high, the client requests a wire-transfer refund to a foreign bank account.

After the refund is sent, the firm learns that the cashier's check was counterfeit, and it's out the amount of the refund.

The scam involved bank accounts in South Korea, Taiwan and Canada.