How Often Do You Check in on Art Commission

• Types of False Checks Scams
• Why Does this Scam Work?
• Fake Checks and Your Bank
• How To Avert a Faux Cheque Scam
• What To Do If You lot Sent Coin to a Scammer
• Where To Written report Fraud

In a fake check scam, a person y'all don't know asks you to deposit a check— sometimes for several thou dollars, and usually for more than than you are owed — and ship some of the money to some other person. The scammers always have a good story to explain why you can't proceed all the coin. They might say they need you to cover taxes or fees, you'll need to purchase supplies, or something else.

Fake checks come in many forms. They might look like business or personal checks, cashier's checks, money orders, or a check delivered electronically. Here'due south what yous need to know nearly fake check scams.

Types of Fake Checks Scams

Fake checks are used in many types of scams. Here are some examples:

• Mystery shopping. Scammers pretend to hire people as mystery shoppers and tell them their first consignment is to evaluate a retailer that sells souvenir cards, money orders, or a coin transfer service, like Western Wedlock or MoneyGram. The shopper gets a check with instructions to eolith it in a personal bank account and wire it to someone else. But in one case the coin is wired, the person on the other end can disappear.

• Personal assistants. People apply online and get hired as personal assistants. They get a check and are told to apply the money to buy souvenir cards or to buy equipment or supplies for their new customer. One time the scammers get the souvenir card PIN numbers, they use them instantly, leaving the "personal assistant" without the money when the bank figures out the bank check is bad.

• Motorcar wrap decals. People interested in car wrap advertising are told to deposit checks and send money to decal installers — who don't exist.

• Claiming prizes. Sweepstakes "winners" are given checks and told to send money to cover taxes, shipping and treatment charges, or processing fees. But that'due south not how legitimate sweepstakes work.
• Overpayments. People buying something from y'all online "accidentally" send a cheque for too much and ask you lot to refund the balance.

Why Do These Scams Piece of work?

These scams work because fake checks generally look just like real checks, even to bank employees. They are often printed with the names and addresses of legitimate financial institutions. They may even exist real checks written on banking company accounts that belong to identity theft victims. Information technology can accept weeks for a depository financial institution to effigy out that the check is a fake.

Simulated Checks and Your Depository financial institution

Past law, banks accept to make deposited funds available quickly, usually within two days. When the funds are made available in your account, the banking concern may say the cheque has "cleared," but that doesn't hateful it's a good bank check. Fake checks can take weeks to be discovered and untangled. By that time, the scammer has whatever coin you sent, and you lot're stuck paying the money back to the bank.

Your best bet: Don't rely on money from a check unless you know and trust the person you're dealing with.

How To Avoid a Fake Bank check Scam

• Never use money from a check to transport gift cards, money orders, or wire money to strangers or someone you just met. Many scammers demand that you transport money through money transfer services like Western Matrimony or MoneyGram, or purchase gift cards and transport them the Pivot numbers. One time yous wire coin, or give someone the gift card PINs, information technology is like giving someone greenbacks. It's well-nigh impossible to get it dorsum.

• Toss offers that ask you to pay for a prize. If information technology'southward gratuitous, you shouldn't have to pay to get it.

• Don't accept a check for more than the selling cost. Yous can bet information technology's a scam.

What To Do If Y'all Sent Coin to a Scammer

Gift cards are for gifts, not payments. Anyone who demands payment by gift card is always a scammer. If you paid a scammer with a gift card, tell the company that issued the menu correct away. When you lot contact the visitor, tell them the gift card was used in a scam. Ask them if they can refund your money. If yous human action quickly plenty, the company might be able to get your money back. Also, tell the store where yous bought the gift card as soon as possible.

Here is a list of gift cards that scammers frequently use — with information to aid report a scam. If the card you lot used is not on this listing, you might notice the gift bill of fare company's contact information on the bill of fare itself, or you might need to do some research online.

If you wired money to a scammer, phone call the money transfer company immediately to report the fraud and file a complaint. Y'all can achieve the complaint department of MoneyGram at i-800-MONEYGRAM (one-800-666-3947) or Western Union at 1-800-325-6000. Enquire for the money transfer to be reversed. Information technology's unlikely to happen, but it'south of import to inquire.

If you paid a scammer with a money order, contact the visitor that issued the money order right away to see if yous can terminate payment. Besides, try to stop delivery of the money order: if yous sent it by U.Southward. postal service, contact the U.S. Postal Inspection Service at 877-876-2455. Otherwise, contact whatever delivery service you used equally soon as possible.

Where To Report Fraud

If you call back you've been targeted by a faux cheque scam, report it to:

• The Federal Trade Commission
• The U.S. Postal Inspection Service
• Your state Attorney Full general

Fake Check Scams Infographic

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Source: https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-spot-avoid-report-fake-check-scams

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