PALM BEACH COUNTY, FL -- It’s a new face on an old scam. During this tough economy, a check in the mail could be just the boost you need to pay your monthly bills.
But the Contact 5 Investigators are tracking a check scam that could take a toll on bank accounts across South Florida.
Charlie Lopez stumbled on the trouble. A manager at Kia of Delray Beach, he was looking for ways to sell some of his slower moving used cars.
Lopez says he posted a few ads on eBay.
"I got an offer for a vehicle that I had listed for $2,500 on line,” Lopez said. “The guy offered to send me a cashier’s check for $4,950 so of course I told him, send me the check."
After a few weeks, Lopez says the check arrived as promised.
"I'm thinking this guy has got to be crazy to send me more than enough money for the car,” Lopez remembers.
The buyer from England explained to Lopez that he added the extra money to cover shipping costs for the car. Lopez remembers he was instructed to, in good faith, mail back any leftover money. But Lopez says he noticed something strange about the check.
"It looked like a copy, a Xerox copy," Lopez said.
The phony looking check jogged Lopez’ memory. He remembered watching a Contact 5 report on check scams several years ago.
"I heard it on TV actually, I heard it from you guys," Lopez said.
Contact 5 has warned about bogus check scams in recent years. It works like this: Someone sends you a check. You deposit the check into your bank account. A few days pass. You spend the money. Suddenly your bank determines the check is fraudulent. It’s part of an international check cashing scam. The problem is you pay the price!
"What happens is, eventually you are responsible for that deposit and its overdraft you’re responsible for the whole thing legally too. That includes any federal charges for wire transfers and the rest,” said Mike Gavlin with the Southeast Florida Better Business Bureau.
Gavlin says it’s the con-game that’s been around for years.
"The Nigerian scam is very much like the Asian scam and Romanian scam where money is flowing through the US."
It would have flowed right through Rhoda Rittman’s house, but she was quick to identify the fraud.
"No one gives away $250,000 just like that,” Rittman said.
She got a letter in the mail informing her that she was the grand prize winner of a sweepstakes. But what was more deceptive, the letter had a $1,900 check enclosed. The sum was supposed to cover taxes on the winnings.
"It said final notice, but I've never received any notice before this one,” Rittman said. "The check looked legitimate but the letter didn't."
Rhoda says she called the number listed in the sweepstakes letter. A claims agent congratulated her, and gave her specific instructions.
"He told me deposit the check and calls him after it was deposited,” Rittman remembers.
But she didn’t trust him, so she never deposited the check. Instead, she called Contact 5.
"These are tough times and if people can get a legitimate check in the mail they would probably cash it,” Rittman said.
The Better Business Bureau warns that if you cash these fraudulent checks, not only are your responsible for amount of the check and bounced check fees, you’re also at risk of having your identity stolen.
The BBB suggests shredding any checks that come from unexplained sources.
