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unsolicited check?
Should you
According to the Federal Trade Commission, there are several types of fake check scams.
A few of the popular ones are:
• Mystery shoppers – Scammers pretend to hire people as mystery shoppers and then ask
them to deposit a check, take out money to wire to someone, or to buy gift cards.
• Sweepstakes "winners" – You won a prize check, but you need to send money to cover taxes,
processing fees, or more.
• Overpayment – People buying from you online send a check for too much and ask you to
refund the balance.
Don't cash it. If you cash it and it is a fake, you are
responsible for paying that money back. Although
Redstone may put a hold on the check you deposit,
it can take weeks for a fake check to be discovered
and untangled. By that time, the scammer has any
money you sent.
Don't use the money from a check to send gift
cards, money orders, or wire money to strangers
or someone you just met. Once you wire money,
or give someone the gift card PINs, it is like giving
someone cash. It's almost impossible to get it back.
Do treat an
unsolicited
check as if it's
fraudulent
and proceed
very carefully.
Do check with
Redstone if
you suspect
that check
you just got
is a fake!
Fraudulent check scams are making the rounds again. But you don't have to fall victim.
Here are a few do's and don'ts:
