Forged Craigslist scam checks

Deposit it in your bank and wait for it to clear. That's the real test.

If it clears? Maybe you should ship something to him?

It will not clear, or worse, it will clear and then the "issuer" bank will come for a refund. I will be stuck with bounced check charges. I will definitely not deposit it.

i

Contact your local authorities with the story, and see if they're interested. It's your duty as a citizen -- see if they'll do their duty as cops.

I don't believe that you get bounced check charges unless _your_ checks bounce. What _does_ happen is that the bank has to (by fed. law) say that the check has "cleared" in three days even if they don't have the money in hand. Later on, when it becomes clear they won't get the money, they deduct it from your account.

But don't believe me ('cause I may be wrong!) -- go ask the teller at the bank when you cash the check.

Rule #1: You can't defraud an honest man. If you get greedy, that's when you get burned - you want to believe.

If it was me, I'd see if there is a branch of the bank the check is drawn on anywhere nearby you can go to and cash it directly - and if they won't hand you the cash money right now, "that's okay - make a copy of the check, and when you are certain that it's good I'll come back and we can exchange the original check for the money."

The bank CAN stop a "Cashiers Check" if they claim fraud, so that's not an acceptable exchange substitute.

If they do cash it but they take a fee for you being a "non-customer" just subtract that from what the guy wants you to send to "his shipper." And if it proves to be a fraud, frame it on your office wall for a reminder.

Local law enforcement and the local District Atty. CAN do something about it, the problem is that first you have to get them out of the Donut Shop or Starbucks long enough to do it... ;-)

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tim - I can assure you that you are mistaken - I just recently had a check someone gave me bounce - my bank charged me $10, his bank may have charged him something also

Let the Record show that Ignoramus14774 on or about Sat, 18 Apr 2009

00:58:35 -0500 did write/type or cause to appear in rec.crafts.metalworking the following:

So what? It is amazing what you can do with a good quality printer these days.

If you suspect it is a forged check, take it to the authorities. Start with a bank - either the one the check is drawn on, or yours. Depositing it can cause all sorts of troubles ... for you.

good luck

pyotr

- pyotr filipivich We will drink no whiskey before its nine. It's eight fifty eight. Close enough!

My idiot ex-father-in-law did. Three of them, all from an "insurance company", all bounced.

Now the bank is suing him for the $48,000+ they are out and he'll wind up with still another lien on his house. The bank will collect when he dies and the house is sold *IF* the house sells for enough to cover the more senior encumbrances and their 48 large. Since he is 80 the bank may find out soon. I hope so.

I'd be interested in seeing a really high quality scan of it (black out any info you don't want made public, of course).

Best regards, Spehro Pefhany

I had quite a few others' checks bounce and my bank did charge me.

That could be.

This is a "Wells Fargo" check. I am 100% sure it is fake. Here's the latest email from the "buyer" (the asking price for the item was $600):

``Hello I***,

Thank you getting back to me promptly. The reason for the amount $2850 is because of the shipping. You are to deduct the money for the item and send the rest to my shipper through WESTERN UNION and as soon as you send me the necessary information and my shipper picks up the funds.He will pick up the item in a day or two as he will be shipping it with my other items. Send the rest to this person through WESTERN UNION.

*NAME :J**** T**** ADDRESS :1448 E 58 St Brooklyn, NY 11234*''

Ignoramus14774 wrote in news:MZ6dncuAnt-W8XTUnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@giganews.com:

DO NOT DEPOSIT IT!!!!

The offender can get your bank account number.

Your post sounds EXACTLY like what happened to me last year. I called the company that supposedly issued the check and spoke to their security guy. He was VERY interested. It turned out that this particular scammer had chosen the wrong company to pretend to be.

Last I heard the FBI was tracking him down.

Did the check come via UPS / FedEx / DHL? If so, they cannot do anything. Only the US postal service can deal with interstate fraud like this.

Good Luck Brad

OK, I will scan it. This is a "check" that is made to look like a Wells Fargo check. I have another Wells Fargo check from a customer, and they look somewhat different, on the real one thereis a logo of WFC, for example.

(I own 1000 shares of Wells Fargo also)

i

Take the entire transaction packet to cops or just throw it away--there's absolutely no point in anything in between. Whether the local cops can do anything is doubtful 'cuz undoubtedly you're not in NY. The other choice is the State Atty Gen'l or their fraud squad who follow this stuff.

This is so rampant it's not possible for them to track them all. Story on national news just a couple days ago -- the folks in your position that get used and fall for this can be in a real spot as well -- the banks definitely will come for the money and if checks are written that don't clear because they've withdrawn the funds you're responsible, not the guy who gave you the bum check for those and lots of other bad consequences.

Getting involved to begin w/ was pretty silly imo...

Ask for ceritfied checks. that should stop the problem

Go back and read the "Scam Alert" thread.

Yeah, sure. Suggest they focus on Accra, Ghana.

Nope, they have been forged also.

The following happened to me: One Item worth about $1200 new on Craig's list for $300 or best offer, E mail from buyer wanting item, offered to send check for item and shipping costs to be paid to his shipper, since he was out of town. Check arrives by UPS for $3900 and has instructions to sent $2000 to shipper $500 to me and rest to him by my check all to PO boxes. I called the bank the check was written on and they confirmed it was a stolen, not forged cashier's check, that had the amount, siginature etc forged on it. Contacted Police, FBI etc and they were uninterested. Recieved another check for another item on Crair's list same routine except this was written on a company not a caisher's check. Called bank and it was a stolen check, called company and they got exicited and asked for the check which I sent them. My local bank will not cash a cashier's check, they hold the check until they get the money in hand before they give you a dime of it, to many people getting burned according to the manager I talked to. Of the three checks I got all three were stolen checks, all three were for $3900, all were sent UPS at a cost of $35 shipping, all paid UPS with stolen credit cards. Two were e-mail transactions and one was just sent to me and I never did know what for.

It is always possible that the check is genuine in the sense that it is a stolen genuine check or a genuine check for an account created for the scam w/ ISF.

Unka' George [George McDuffee]

------------------------------------------- He that will not apply new remedies, must expect new evils: for Time is the greatest innovator: and if Time, of course, alter things to the worse, and wisdom and counsel shall not alter them to the better, what shall be the end?

Francis Bacon (1561-1626), English philosopher, essayist, statesman. Essays, "Of Innovations" (1597-1625).