When’s the last time you actually wrote out a paper check? In a day and age where the ubiquitous use of debit and credit cards prevail and electronic money transactions are second nature, believe it or not fake check scams are actually on the increase.
An in-depth study by the Better Business Bureau finds that, while we as consumers may write fewer checks in this era of electronic financial transactions, fake check scams are, in fact, on the rise. Fake checks are used in a variety of frauds, from employment scams to prize and sweepstakes fraud. In all cases, victims deposit the check and send money back to scammers. BBB warns consumers to be on guard against these serious and pervasive frauds and their perpetrators.
The new investigative study– “Don’t Cash That Check: Better Business Bureau Study Shows How Fake Check Scams Bait Consumers” — looks at how fake checks continue to dupe consumers. The report digs into the scope of the problem, who is behind it, and the need for law enforcement and consumer education to address the issue. You can read the complete report in the link below.
Scammers often succeed because consumers don’t realize:
- Crediting a bank account does not mean the cashed check is valid. Federal banking rules require that when someone deposits a check into an account, the bank must make the funds available right away – within a day or two. Even when a check is credited to an account, it does not mean the check is good. A week or so later, if the check bounces, the bank will want the money back. Consumers, not the fraudsters, will be on the hook for the funds.
- Cashier’s checks and postal money orders can be forged. A cashier’s check is a check guaranteed by a bank, drawn on the bank’s own funds and signed by a cashier. If a person deposits a cashier’s check, the person’s bank must credit the account by the next day. The same holds true for postal money orders. Scammers use cashier’s checks and postal money orders because many people don’t realize they can be forged.
Phil Catlett is President & CEO of the BBB Serving Western Michigan. He cautions, “To protect ourselves and people we care about, we need to understand how these rip-offs work.” He warns, “Fake check scams can be really convincing, and it is up to each one of us to not become a victim. If a bank or credit union accepts your check deposit and allows you to use the funds from that check, it does not mean the check is legitimate, or that any money is really there. Any time you get a check from a person or organization you don’t know well and trust, never buy gift cards or use the money from that check until you have truly verified it is real and the money is there.”
Fake check fraud is a huge problem, with complaints to regulatory agencies and consumer watchdog groups doubling over the last three years.
Fraud employing fake checks is rapidly growing and costing billions of dollars. Fake checks were involved in 7-percent of all complaints filed with BBB’s Scam Tracker. The number of complaints received by the Federal Trade Commission’s Consumer Sentinel database and the Internet Fraud Complaint Center more than doubled between 2014 and 2017.
Based on complaint data trends, the study suggests that there may be over 500,000 victims of counterfeit checks in 2017.
The study found the fraud affects victims of all ages and income levels, but consumers between 20-29 reported being victimized by the scam more than consumers of any other age range.
The National Consumers League, which also receives complaints from fraud victims at Fraud.org, found that fake checks complaints in 2017 were up 12-percent and was the second most common type of complaint over all, after online order issues.
Nigerian gangs appear to be behind most of this fraud, often using romance fraud victims and other “money mules” to receive money from victims. Many fake checks and money orders are shipped to the U.S. from Nigeria.
The report recommends:
- Organizations such as BBB and regulatory agencies should do more to provide fake check fraud prevention education.
- With wide-scale use of money mules and others to assist in frauds, it would be useful for law enforcement agencies to work collaboratively to both identify these individuals and to take action to ensure that they end these activities.
- Investigative agencies may need more resources to effectively prosecute fake checks and other widespread frauds.
- Continued law enforcement coordination and training with enforcement counterparts in Nigeria and elsewhere should remain important and should be strengthened.
- Banks and financial institutions might consider more collective efforts to educate their customers about fake check frauds.
What to do if you have deposited a fake check into your account:
- Notify your bank or the bank that appears to have issued the check.
- File a complaint:
- Better Business Bureau
- Federal Trade Commission (FTC), or call 877-FTC-Help
- Internet Crime Complaint Center, or IC3
- U.S. Postal Inspection Service
- Western Union, 1-800-448-1492
- MoneyGram, 1-800-926-9400
- Green Dot, 1-866-795-7597
- Canadian Anti Fraud Centre, toll-free from US at 1-888-495-8501
Victims who are seniors or other vulnerable adults may be able to obtain help through Adult Protective Services, which has offices in every state and many counties. Find a local office at www.elderjustice.gov.
Read these additional tips on how to avoid becoming a scam victim:
https://www.bbb.org/avoidscams/
The photo accompanying this story on Moody on the Market.com is courtesy of the Better Business Bureau Serving Western Michigan.
