Greg's Corner

Tagged: cashier’s checks Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

• 

  Geebo 8:00 am on September 29, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: cashier's checks, check cashing ( 2 ), check scam ( 79 ), check washing ( 16 ), fake check ( 48 ), Scams ( 1,367 )   

  Scam Round Up: A trio of tricky check scams 

  

  By Greg Collier

  Checks have always been prone to a number of scams. Even before most people switched to electronic banking, there was always a way to manipulate checks to someone’s advantage. Now, that most consumers use debit cards and get paid through direct deposit, it’s not surprising there are people who are unaware of how checks can be used in a scam. Here are three check scams from recent news reports you should be aware of.

  ***

  Of course, there’s the fake check scam. This is where scammers will send you a check for any number of reasons. They want you to deposit the check into your own bank account and send some of the money back before your bank finds out the check is fake. While the fake check scam is mostly seen with job scams and online selling scams, it can affect businesses as well.

  For example, a home supply store in Ohio recently received a cashier’s check that was supposed to cover supplies for a home renovation. The check was written for $5000 more than the store was asking. The person who sent the check also included instructions that the difference should be sent to the home’s previous owner for some reason. Thankfully, the store owner felt like he was being scammed and contacted the police.

  If someone you don’t know personally sends you a check and wants you to send part of the money back to them or to a third party, that is almost assuredly a scam.

  ***

  Another check scam that has become more common lately is the check washing scam. This is when checks are stolen from outgoing mail that are usually designed to pay bills. The checks are then soaked in a chemical solution that removes the handwritten portion of the check. This allows the scammers to rewrite the check to themselves and cash the check without the account holder’s knowledge.

  If you pay your bills by check, the best way to protect yourself is to take any outgoing mail that contains checks and drop them off inside the post office. Mail has even been known to be stolen from the mailboxes that are outside the post office. There are also pens you can order that are resistant to check washing.

  ***

  Lastly, the NYPD is warning residents of Staten Island about a different type of fake check scam. One precinct there has received numerous complaints about scammers approaching people on the street asking for help cashing a check. The victim is asked if they could deposit the check at their ATM while withdrawing money for the scammer. Again, the bank won’t find out for a few days that the check is fraudulent, and the victim is responsible for paying that money back to the bank.

  It is recommended if you come into contact with someone asking you to help them cash a check to call 911.

   

  Leave a ReplyCancel reply
• 

  Geebo 8:14 am on August 20, 2019 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: cashier's checks, check scam ( 79 ), Scams ( 1,367 )   

  Here’s why the phony check scam works 

  

  Probably, the most common scam we’ve discussed is the phony check scam. It seems like it’s at the heart of almost every other online scam. At the heart of the scam is, of course, the phony check. Scammers will send you a [phony check for any number of reasons but the hook is always the same. They’ll send you a check for more money than you were asking for or were expecting. They’ll instruct you to deposit the check and then send them the difference. By the time the bank discovers that the check is a fake, you’re responsible for the entire amount of the check while the scammers disappear with your money.

  It all seems rather unfair. You’re the victim of a scam after all. So why does this particualr scam lend itself so well to scammers? According to Vox, it all has to do with the way cashier’s checks are handled by banks. Legitimate cashier’s checks are just as good as cash where your bank is concerned. The person or entity who is issuing the cashier’s check pays the bank the full amount for that check to be issued. So when a bank receives a cashier’s check as a deposit they’re operating under the assumption that the check is legitimate and the funds should be immediately available.

  The bank only usually discovers that the check is fake after it’s been deposited and returns as a fraudulent check. Unfortunately, the only person the bank can hold responsible is the person who deposited the check which in this case is the scam victim. While many people realize that the checks they receive are fake, there are enough people who fall for this scam that they keep the scammers in business. Billions of dollars in fraudulent checks are attempted to be cashed each year. However, you can protect yourself by avoiding these situations. If a deal feels like it’s wrong, it probably is.