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Who do you contact for counterfeit checks

by valerieSONORA
10 replies
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Someone tried to scam me

Unfortunately for them I'm not stupid.

It all sounded good and legit at first. No red flags at all. Then I got a check and was suspicious. It had all the watermarks and everything. But it was from some company in PA I'd never heard of and way above the intended amount.

So of course I made some calls and found out the check was counterfeit. I emailed Bank of America, it was made on their check but got some stupid email back: This email is just for general inquiries about our services.

So do I need to send the counterfeit check to someone with the name and phone number of the person who sent it(from Canada) or do I just drop it?
  • Profile picture of the author Andy Money
    Get'em. Make'em pay.
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  • Profile picture of the author ShayB
    Originally Posted by valerieSONORA View Post

    Someone tried to scam me

    Unfortunately for them I'm not stupid.

    It all sounded good and legit at first. No red flags at all. Then I got a check and was suspicious. It had all the watermarks and everything. But it was from some company in PA I'd never heard of and way above the intended amount.

    So of course I made some calls and found out the check was counterfeit. I emailed Bank of America, it was made on their check but got some stupid email back: This email is just for general inquiries about our services.

    So do I need to send the counterfeit check to someone with the name and phone number of the person who sent it(from Canada) or do I just drop it?
    My Dad also got a scammer check from the Bank of America. He went down to a local branch and gave them the check with the info about the scammer.

    They said they had numerous checks from different states that were scams.
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  • Profile picture of the author artwebster
    THis type of scam is very wide spread. Usually quite subtle with the over payment being requested in cash or by credit transfer so that the loss is made before the cheque eventually bounces.
    The banks are aware of this but don't seem to be willing to do anything to help their clients. To express clear a cheque is quite expensive although the work involved is minimal so the banks have been capitalising on sensible people as well as ignoring those who have been scammed.
    It's about time that cheques were cleared before they are received by the issuing bank. This would stop these scams and enable people to spend money that is rightfully theirs without having to wait 4 to 16 days for the snail mail to deliver the cancelled cheques to the issuing banks.
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  • Profile picture of the author Star69
    Just tear it up and give it a toss in the trash where it belongs.

    I got one of those, did some checking and ended up with a Canadian phone number, which I called, and a Jamaican accent answered it...

    Then I called the local office of the FBI and they told me to forget about it. People mail those things to the FBI so often, and honestly, there's little the FBI can do about it because these scammers are not located within the U.S. but in several different countries around the globe.

    You could deposit the check in your bank account, then once it is posted you can withdraw all of that money from your account! But once your bank sends the check to the 'bank' it was drawn on and finds out it's a bogus check, they'll want you to give them the money back. If you don't return it, things can get worse for you.

    So just give it a toss. It's not worth your time.
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  • Profile picture of the author valerieSONORA
    I'm sure these scammers will go on to the next victim and maybe the next victim will be stupid or naiive. This wasn't anything like those Nigerian scams or lottery scams. They seemed really practiced at it. I just wish there was a way to stop them from scamming others.
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  • Profile picture of the author HeySal
    If you know what country it was from, contact the authorities in that country. It's a pain in the butt because you need to find someone who can translate a letter into the language of that country - but most countries take this type of activity by their citizens seriously, believe it or not.
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  • Profile picture of the author DougBangkok
    Contact both the FBI in the US and the RCMP in Canada. I got one, too, and I am in Canada. When I contacted the RCMP, an officer took the time to visit me to collect the cheque and told me that they work closely with the FBI.
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    • Profile picture of the author myob
      I also get counterfeit checks frequently with "overpayments". Those checks are actually untraceable. Scammers use addresses out of jurisdiction, temporary or even fake addresses. Just like stolen credit cards, the amount of money involved usually is not worth the effort to investigate. Just ignore them or write it off as a loss if you fall for it. All that the banks or authorities can do is "look into it".

      They really can't do anything about it, so you should already have security measures in place before accepting checks and credit cards. Whenever I get an "overpayment" I return the check with an invoice, and it usually comes back again as "undeliverable". The ones that don't come back are never heard from again.
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  • Profile picture of the author valerieSONORA
    I called the bank before cashing the check of course. And it was from a real company, but the company's acct. with Bank of America was closed. I called the company itself and said I got a check from your company and they said it's a counterfeit. The person who sent it was from Canada.
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    • Profile picture of the author myob
      Good call on that one, Valerie. However, it usually is a waste of time even calling a bank for "suspect" checks such as on an obvious scam like an over payment. It's just cheaper and less of a pain to return the check with an invoice to resubmit a check with the correct amount. Also, advise your customers that a check will take up to 14 days to clear, and shipments will be sent after a successful check clearance.

      Anyone that chooses NOT to use Paypal, Alertpay, Google Checkout, or a credit card sends up an immediate red flag especially if it is an overpayment from out of the local area. It still is possible to get scammed no matter what payment processor you use, but having secure safeguards and clear policies in place will save you a lot of grief down the road.
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