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Check Fraud—Protect Yourself
Despite all of the attention, counterfeit checks continue to be a growing problem.
Basically, scammers pretend to be someone they're not to lure victims into doing
things they normally wouldn't do. Don't fall prey to these ploys.
The most popular scams include:
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Foreign Business Offers
Scammers pretend to be business people or government officials and they make propositions
worth millions of dollars.
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Love Losses
Scammers pretend to develop a romantic interest online and proceed to ask the victims
to cash a check or money order to cover “travel expenses”.
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Overpayments
Scammers claim they've mailed the wrong amount for an online purchase. Sellers are
asked to deposit the check and return the excess to the scammers. You guessed it—the
check doesn't clear.
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Rental Schemes
Scammers ask for some money back from deposits for some “unexpected expenses”. They
nevermove in and the check never clears.
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Sudden Riches
Scammers call or send notices to victims that they've won a foreign lottery or sweepstakes.
Unless you get a prize notification by certified mail, beware.
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Work-at-Home
Scammers convince victims they can earn easy money by depositing checks and keeping
a small fee.
If it's too good to be true, it probably is.
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