Greg's Corner

Even musicians fall victim to the fake check scam

By Greg Collier

More so than most people, musicians have a keen eye for scammers when it comes to getting paid. If you’ve ever known a professional or semi-professional musician, you’ve probably heard stories about how they’ve been ripped off by promoters and venue owners, just to name a few. Musicians are often either not paid the amount they were promised, or they have to constantly follow up with whoever owes them money. This is where the term ‘starving musician’ typically comes from. Now, they have yet another payment scam to worry about, and it’s one of the most common scams around today.

The United States Postal Inspection Service is issuing a warning about the fake check scam, or the overpayment scam, as it’s also known. They’ve highlighted the story of a music student who’s also a gig musician from a university in Indiana. The pianist received an email from her professor that said someone had requested the pianist to play their wedding.

The pianist contacted the woman who had requested her services, and they agreed on a $200 fee. The pianist received a check for $1900. When the pianist brought this to the attention of the supposed bride, the bride made the excuse of she had accidentally combined the payment of the florist along with that of the pianist. The pianist was then told to deposit the check and send the overage back to the bride at a PayPal address. A few days later, the pianist’s bank discovered the check was fraudulent, and now the musician was out $1700.

As always, if someone sends you a check for more than the amount you’re asking for, the odds are they’re attempting to scam you. If you deposit the check and then return the overage, you will be held responsible by your bank for the full amount of the check and any associated penalties. However, this story is a great example of how scammers will set out to steal money from just about anyone.