Too good to be true?

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Hello I'm New here! Joined: 22 Jan 2009 Posts: 8

Hi
On the internet, through a website, i found a "job".
Well what it is, is that i have to cash checks for someone, which are on my name.
That guy is a deaf artist (apparently), and he has trusted me with this.
Basically he sells his artwork all over the world, and basically his clients pay him by check. Because he lives in the US, it's a real pain in the a$$ for him to cash it out (apparently).

Basically, he wants me to cash his checks (which will be on my name) and then keep 15% of it and transfer the rest of the money using Western Union to his address, which he gave me.
Now today, out of surprise, i got a check! Very Happy

First i couldnt believe it, but yes, it's on my name.
The value of the check is £2200.
What i have to do is cash it out and transfer it using western union.

But me getting 15% for doing not much work, is this too good to be true?
Is this a new sort of a scam business that started?

And how can i tell that the check is "real"?

Thanks very much guyz! Surprised

Posted: Thu Jan 22, 2009 4:41 pm

It's a scam, trust me. Someone will be along later to explain it better than me.
Oh and welcome to the board Very Happy

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 19 Jan 2009 Posts: 7

Well since he obviously has your full name and address I would say STOP TALKING to this guy. Stop all communication - for good.

Then, if you really want to mess with him, wait a while, sign up for a fake gmail account with a different name, and pop off an e-mail saying "yes, i'm interested in cashing these checks. how do i begin?" The rest is up to you but you can definitely get some ideas off this board. Remember, be safe. I'd suggest reading the beginners' stickies or the "Eater U" part of the forum.

Posted: Thu Jan 22, 2009 4:47 pm

There is no such thing as a job to cash checks for a commission. All he would have to do is stick them in an envelope with a deposit slip and mail them to his bank. It simply would not be worth any money to anyone to "hire" someone cash checks.

The way the scam works is that the checks are fake or stolen. Your bank will clear them within a few days. They are required by law to do this (in the US, at least). This does NOT mean they take responsibility for the checks when they are returned. The checks will go to a clearing house and then to the issuing bank where they WILL be discovered to be fraudulent. This process can take weeks or even months.

When they are returned, the bank will hold you responsible for the entire amount of the checks. They will not care where they came from, they will assume you are a criminal. It is illegal to attempt to pass a bad check. If you do not have the funds to cover the bad checks, they will press charges.

This is a very vicious scam because you can rack up tens of thousands of dollars worth of debt very quickly, without spending a dime, and it will place you in a heap of legal trouble.

Well done for spotting it before you sent money off.

Edit to add: Let's pretend for a moment that there was such a job, and this guy is on the level. It still would be a dangerous thing to do because if one of his clients gave you a bad check, you would still be left holding the bag.

Tear the check up and drop all contact with this person. If you ever see the words "check" and "Western Union" used together, you know it's a scam.

Posted: Thu Jan 22, 2009 5:02 pm

A variant of the overpayment scam, and there's 0% chance of the cheque being genuine.
A mod will be along shortly to ask for details of the cheque, sender etc. It's quite likely that the sender is an innocent dupe of the scammer.
If you can quote the email headers, we may be able to tell where the email came from.

Master of Master Baiters Joined: 06 Feb 2008 Posts: 720

It is a Scam

Posted: Thu Jan 22, 2009 5:07 pm

DO NOT try and deposit that check! Even just out of curiosity!

It is DEFINITELY a scam!

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 22 Jan 2009 Posts: 8

Here's the header (at least i suppose it's up till here):

Code:

X-Message-Delivery: Vj0xLjE7RD0wO2w9MQ==

X-Message-Info: HKIYGN+H3D+QShLNGWNUtb8urlI/48fz0WaMEa4yBu+RyfrTjlCA4aE3ynsoZEQuoz7fljBM24I=

Received: from qb-out-1314.google.com ([72.14.204.168]) by bay0-mc7-f2.bay0.hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC(6.0.3790.2668);

Wed, 21 Jan 2009 10:13:54 -0800

Received: by qb-out-1314.google.com with SMTP id q18so2110738qbq.28

Is there anything he can do with my name, address and date of birth? Sad

Master of Master Baiters Joined: 06 Feb 2008 Posts: 720

a scam it is

Posted: Thu Jan 22, 2009 5:18 pm

@Lola

I wouldn't be too worried about him showing up at your house or anything. Chances are he's on the other side of the world and doesn't have the resources to go visiting random people that didn't cash his fake checks.

Just tell him that you took the check to the bank and they told you it was fraudulent. You will probably never hear from him again. If you do, just ignore him.

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 22 Jan 2009 Posts: 8

blah wrote:

@Lola
Just tell him that you took the check to the bank and they told you it was fraudulent. You will probably never hear from him again. If you do, just ignore him.

If a few more members suggest that, i will do it. But i'll wait for now, as i'm not sure whether to contact him or not. Neutral

Thanks for your help guyz!
Really appreciate it! Smile

Posted: Thu Jan 22, 2009 5:34 pm

@Lola

If he isn't pestering you for payment then absolutely DO NOT contact him.

If he won't stop bugging you, then I would just say to tell him that the check was fake and that you have called the police/fbi whatever. He'll drop you in a New York minute.

For the reassurance of it, I would suggest you send a private message to Luckey. He's one of the moderators here and will guide you along.

Posted: Thu Jan 22, 2009 5:39 pm

Do not attempt to cash the cheque. Rip it up and cease all contact with him. He will go away.

Well done on spotting the scam, and welcome.

Quote:

Is there anything he can do with my name, address and date of birth?

Another reason not to contact is the real life (RL) info you have given.

In itself is not cause for undue concern or worry but the forum advises never to give out RL stuff as well as other methods to ensure safe baiting.

Baiting Guru Joined: 04 Jan 2006 Posts: 3193

Since you asked for more opinions.

You're fine. Do what you like with the check, except cashing it. If you keep it, then write FAKE on it in big red letters - it may be illegal to hold a counterfeit instrument.

DO NOT CASH IT

If you gave the scammer any other info, like bank account details, passport, drivers license, etc, then to be safe report the scam to the issuing authorities.

Either ignore the lad, or tell him that the check was bad, that you're in legal trouble, and that you are no longer interested in his job.

There is the outside chance that you may be vulnerable to identity theft. I believe in the US it is only necessary to pay $10 to get an SSN to go with a name and address. My inclination would be to keep an eye on your credit record for the next year or so. It probably isn't worth anything more formal, but your bank can probably advise you.