I have been scammed, I was sent a $5800.00 cashiers check, I took it to the bank..they cashed it. How could I?

Question

know that it was counterfeit???The bank admitted that they have a policy for cashing checks, that was not followed. All of the money was withdrawn from my Mom's account, they had to give her money back because I am only listed as an agent on her account. I live on a partial disability check and a parttime job..........I'm currently on medical leave from work due to a surgery in 2005. Isn't it illegal to take money from a Federal Government Workers Compensation Disability check??? My bank took all of the money I had left out of that check last month and it has taken all of it this month. A loan officer at the bank said he would give me $400 and he would give me two weeks to come up with more money, I gave him $1400 last week, that was all I had. I'm have medical testing next week for a follow-up surgery.

I'm completely at a loss here if anyone has legitimate serious advice. I live in Oklahoma

I'm not a dim-wit.The money was from a 2yr.long association with a cancer victim,I'm a medical person and in my line of work it's not uncommon for a patient to ask for money to be appropriated as they wish, instead of the faimily doing as they please upon the death of a family member. Confidentiallity is first and foremost in my work, I sent the money to verifiable childrens charities as he requested.The Smile Train, Make a Wish Foundation, Childrens Miracle Network.
I trust in my financial institution, they did not deposit the check and wait for it to clear in 5 or 10 days, they just cashed it and I was none the wiser until all funds were pulled from my account

Answer 1

This is very popular scam. Most people assume that a cashier checks is almost as good as cash. With technology today it is very easy to forge cashier checks. For future reference if you get a cashier check you should always look at the bank on the check find a listing for it online and call to verify funds or wait for funds to clear before taking any of the money.

Answer 2

You've described the NIgerian Advance Money Scam to a T. They give a fake reason as to why the check is too much and why they need the money back. Your guy said it was because he had to pay the movers and oops, somehow he only had one check. (Lately scammers have switched from the shipper excuse to making fake deposits on rental properties, claiming the trip to the USA was cancelled and asking for a "refund.") The check said Kentucky because it was either a stolen check or a fake check made to look as real as possible to lesson the odds the bank would realize it was rubber before they let you deposit it. 1. You owe the bank back the full amount back. 2. You can contact the FBI, TIGTA, etc, but the offs are 99.9999% against you that they can get any of it back for you. 3. Well, you could itemize the theft loss, it wouldn't make a difference in your taxes. (If you have no income, you can't use the deduction. If you have the income, your standard deduction is more than the theft amount.)

Answer 3

Why do people instantaneously cash these checks without thinking? It's easy money...or is that just greed? I know it sounds good to get a check in the mail for $5800, but come on. If you owe a debt to a bank, whether it be from writing bad checks on an account with insufficient funds, etc. they can garnish moneys from SS, SSI, Worker's Comp, etc. funds that your receive. If you haven't spoken to a lawyer yet, it would be advisable to do so since the bank does have a check cashing policy that wasn't followed. You have learned the hard way, but I do hope that you get the problem straightened out soon. Good luck!

Answer 4

The next time somebody you don't know and that you never met sends you a "cashiers" check, maybe you will think twice before you cash it. Why on earth would any stranger send you a check like that to cash, but even more to the point, why would you cash it without first verifying its authenticity? It makes no sense at all that some total stranger would send you a check like that. This is such a common scam I am surprised that people keep falling for it. when you cash a fake check like that and send money via Western Union and keep part of it as a "fee" you are an accomplice to a fraud. I am amazed that something like this would not set of alarm bells in your head. It's incredible, just incredible. So now you are out the money and have to pay it back. Maybe you will learn something from this, maybe not. Time will tell.

Other than to say don't do this again, there is no other advice. You just willingly gave money to a crook, that's all there is to it.

Answer 5

My dear, as harsh as this may sound, you should always read the small print. I got a check for $8,000 supposedly for a sweepstakes I had entered. The first thing I did was call the bank to verify the check. Of course it was not legitimate. And after reading the almost microscopic print, it did say that cashing the check would be considered accepting a loan, which was also bogus. By endorsing the check, you agreed to whatever rules the sender set. You, in essence, signed a contract and are therefore obligated.

Rule of thumb: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Answer 6

You're responsible for presenting the check to the bank. This scam is becoming more popular due to the desperation by many for a quick fix. The bank could garnish your money until the balance was paid in full.

Answer 7

First they did not take it out of the check, the check was deposited into that account, they merely took your money that was deposited into your accout.

next where did the money you were given from the cashiers check go ???? why was all that money withdrawn ?

If you merely give that money back to the bank then the problem is settleded.

and of course it was false you don't think someone was really going to pay you to cash checks for them ??? When they could merely deposit them thierself.

Answer 8

So where is the money the bank gave you when you cashed the check? You had extra money somewhere.

Answer 9

You are screwed.

WHY did you cash the check?

Did you know who sent it?

Was it a "winnings" from a sweepstakes you didn't enter into?

So, you CASHED the check, what did you do with the $$$?

Answer 10

Damn girl. It might help if you open another account at a different bank and have your money sent to that bank so you can have a little more control over your money. That way you can split it up between paying them and having money to live off of.