Bogus Check Scams

Check scams can take a variety of forms, but all are designed to do one thing: separate you from your money.

See a sample scam letter and fake check

You should be suspicious anytime you receive a check in the mail that's:

• from an international lottery or sweepstakes 
• an "advance on your winnings"
• payment for a "mystery shopper" job opportunity
• payment for something you are offering for sale, and is more than you asked for
• unsolicited and unexpected

What happens if I deposit a bogus check?

Under banking rules, the bank has to make the funds available to you in a few days, regardless of whether the check has officially been honored.  You are, however, responsible for any check you deposit.  If the check comes back bad, the bank will remove those funds from your account.  If the funds are no longer in the account, you will owe the bank the money.  Either way, you will lose.

How do I know if a check I received is real? Can I just call the bank?

Unfortunately, many bogus checks appear to be real, and were written using stolen account information.  Just because the check has valid information on it, does not mean it was written by the actual account holder or that it will be honored.  In some cases, it can be weeks before the fraud is discovered, but you will still lose the money.  You can contact CAP to find out more about a check you have received.

What do I do with a bogus check I received?

If you received the check through the U.S. Mail, you can return it to your postmaster to report mail fraud.  Otherwise, you can report to your local police, or destroy the check.  You should not try to contact the sender.

How do the scammers get my money?

The scammers will ask you to send them some money back, typically via wire transfer.  DO NOT SEND ANY MONEY from a check you received, especially via wire transfer.  Funds sent in this manner are nearly impossible to recover once sent.

Last modified October 07 2010 10:35 AM