i received a check and called the number. i was told to deposit the check in my account and once it cleared to send a certain amount via Western Union or Moneygram. This check is to pay taxes and handling fees. No money out of my pocket is the point. Once i notified them i had sent the money, it would take 7 to 10 days to get my winnings. They even sent $143.05 extra for the cost of the moneygram. Where is the scam here? i am really leary, but don't see what the catch is yet. Can you tell me what's the catch?
2006-07-19 06:27:56 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Business & Finance ➔ Other - Business & Finance
The catch hummmm scam
2006-07-19 06:30:18 · answer #1 · answered by Arzuita 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Be VERY carefull of this!
It is best to call the bank that issued the check and make sure that the account exists.(do not call the number printed on the check...scammers will put their own number on there)
There is a scam where a buyer will contact you and ask to pay by check.
What happens in this scam is:
You will receive an email saying "I am interested in buying "the item",or sometimes they will cut and paste the item into a template so it will say "Ford Thunderbird 5.0"
They will ask if you can receive a check for more than the asking price.You will be then asked to send the balance of the check to someone else.
car = $1000
check = $4000
balance = $3000
The check will be fake (to be sure,call up the bank that issued the check and ask them to check if the account exists...do NOT call the number on the check!)
The general assumption is that the check will "clear" in a couple of weeks...this is a bit misleading.
Your bank will "honour" the check in 7 to 10 days giving you access to the money(they are legally obliged to unless they are suspicious)
The check is not "cleared" until it is physically sent back to the issuing bank...this can take up to 6 months.
6 months after you have sent the balance to the scammer you are wondering why they have not picked up the car....and that's when the bank debits your account for the amount of the check.Its your fault...never the banks..
It doesn't matter if it is a personal check or a bank draft..they can both be forged as easy.
have a look atwww.fraudwatchers.org or more info
2006-07-20 06:34:00 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you do not check a company before entering into a transaction, you could lose your money, time and credibility. Some widely used resources are the Better Business Bureau (www.bbb.org) and the national fraud center (www.fraud.org) these days, you can easily find out more about a company using the internet in a few minutes. From a company's website, you can details about its ownership, how old the company really is and feedback from the company's customers.
You can find more detailed information about a company at http://tinyurl.com/gtb89
2006-07-19 18:32:13 · answer #3 · answered by comptermind 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the check will be put in your account and being in america they will clear the check only to find out later that the bank doesnt exist. i put a link that tells about the nigerian scam and the lottery scam
2006-07-19 06:34:42 · answer #4 · answered by stormyblythe 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the scam is is that its a bogus check you cashed, it won't clear...and either you/or your bank/ or both are liable for the fraudulent check, however the $ you sent back to them will go fine...get it?
2006-07-19 06:31:45 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋