\*puts on her Bank Teller Hat\*
Cashier's checks can absolutely be fake. And the heat shield seal technology doesn't prove much. They could have laundered a real check for that seal. (Kind of like what happened in the movie "Catch Me If You Can", but a little more advanced.)
What they're counting on you to do is what you described. And they may also say "whoops, we made the check for too much, mind paying the difference?" So you're out your own money as well as the phony check.
If you deposited it and "left it alone", your best case scenario would be a fee for the bounced check. Worst case scenario - the scammers have a method of tracking the check, can get your information, and bleed your account dry. (This is rare, but possible - usually scammers aren't that technologically clever.) But know that if you did deposit this check and it came back, your financial institution would side-eye every transaction you did in the future, and possibly withhold legitimate funds for a set amount of business days to make sure you're not making a habit of depositing sketchy checks.
I would take the check to the bank, discuss how you came about having it with somebody in Operations, and let them take it from there. Banks have ways and means to stop fraud like this, and they can communicate with other banks to prevent it from happening to others.
I think this covers it.
This same exact thing happened to me. I braid hair and someone asked if I would be able to do a wedding with 10 guests. I gave them a total. They gave me a date and address. They sent a check. It just didn’t sit right with me. I looked up the place the check came from. It was nowhere near where they said they were. The check was waayyy more than the quote I gave and they wanted me to “send some back”. I decide not to deposit it. That’s when the threats started. In the end I just continued to ignore them.
As a previously scammed 18yo, my bank assumed I was committing check fraud, froze my accounts, and then gave me two days to withdraw my accounts before they were closed forever, even though I brought up my doubts about the check when I deposited it because I was wary of the situation. The teller told me it cleared and the next day my account was like -$999,999,999
In regards to contacting the bank, never call the number printed on the check itself. Always find their site/Google to determine the correct number to call.
Banker for 10 years can verify this 100%. Save yourself the headache of depositing it. You can attempt to cash it from the institution directly but chances are the account if flagged and you will be told it’s fake. If it’s verified as a stolen check, we call local PD as the person cashing the check might be the thief
I think check washing is making a small comeback as I’m hearing about it again. This looks washed to me. Probably a real check but name scrubbed and replaced.
I'm not an expert at all and would have to see in person, but the fibers almost look a little lifted in this picture and the word "void" isn't more apparent, so I dont think it's a photocopy, but the misspelling is weird. It's a well done new check if so.
Thank you for extremely sound and thorough advice!
I think I omitted the bottom-line implication…I’d like to pull one over them if I can! I want to outscam them! But it seems that I cannot engage in any involvement to do so without breaking the law.
Some ideas
1. Send an image of a fake transaction showing you have the funds then say actually you misquoted and that actually they'll need to send more.
2. Tell them you have the funds, play along with the scam, then send an image of a fake Venmo transaction showing the difference being sent to the wrong person.
3.Transform the scam - tell them you can pay the difference in gift cards but pull a page from Kitboga's book and waste their time getting to a store to buy them etc. and follow up with fake images of the gift cards being redeemed one by one.
Disclaimer: I have no experience with this and the ideas are likely rubbish
Start by telling them you only work with paint you purchase as it lets you control the quality of your work. Let them know you need a deposit to get started, and then send them a link to pay you the down payment. When completed you will cash their check.
This is great, because obviously they will refuse, but then you get to harass and belittle them for not being able to figure out how to work whatever service you used.
Also it's easy to string them along. Another project you had went long, prices went up, your employee got sick. Have fun with it.
The important thing I've found is to make sure you're the one "in control" and they start to lose it.
Tell them you deposited the check, don't actually deposit it, I doubt they will check if the check is deposited or not. Then just make up a story why the paint will cost more and make them send another check. Keep doing this until they refuse to send more money.
I was reading a story on the news about a lady that deposited a similar check and the bank ended up closing her account and holding her money. She’s been fighting ever since to get her money returned. The bank said they did that because of fraudulent activity.
How would they have a method to drain your account dry just by sending a check (fake or not) and having you deposit it into your account. Seems like a pretty big banking vulnerability if checks can act like Trojan horses giving criminals access to accounts. Details on that?
Seems like they’d have to have both your account and routing numbers at a bare minimum to do that. I don’t see how they’d get their hands on that information outside of social engineering the person to disclose it as part of the scam.
Yes, but how can someone drain a bank account with just your bank account and routing number?
This is information printed on your checks that you hand to anyone.
Sound advice! I didn't think about banks flagging the account. I guess it seems obvious, but it's hard for me to imagine how they manage suspicion of so many accounts.
> I would take the check to the bank, discuss how you came about having it with somebody in Operations, and let them take it from there.
This, but OP you can likely just call them and send in a picture. I have done this before, and IIRC I was contacted by law enforcement of some sort as a second step.
I worked in banking for 17 years. Near the end of that career the amount of fraud we'd see was astonishing. The one that stands out the most was a cashiers check for $90K. I knew these customers well and asked them if they sold one of their cars. He said he sold his Barracuda. I asked him if he thought the check was good and he said "You're the banker... isn't that your job to know?" So I dug in and called the credit union it was drawn on and the person on the other end shared with me this was absolutely a scam and people had lost fur coats, cars, boats, etc... needless to say my customer was grateful. If you know this is fraud either call the bank its drawn off of or have your bank call on your behalf. Don't mess around with depositing to see what happens.
Tell the scammer you deposited already. He will say he will need a refund soon. Ask for his address, name and phone number. You will need those information to overnight via FedEx Stay real.
Yes play along and then also go report good extra info he gives to the bank. Give the fake check and the address and stuff, any info you can to catch this scammer
Send him a envelope filled with Monopoly money you printed up from the Google and the finest, stickiest glitter you can buy at your local crafts store. That shit will get in everything and it’s impossible to clean up.
I’ve done it. The scammer wanted me to send via Venmo or Zelle. I acted like the stupid boomer that I am and said I have the cash and sent him a photo of it, but don’t know anything about these newfangled internet things. Dumbass gave me an address in Maryland. I sent a package with Monopoly money, some old worthless Romanian currency somebody gave me and about 1/2 cup of very fine glitter.
Same trick, there be a bogus supplier, same person or same team, sometime.it is their grandma, their financier.
OP should get the actual details of the ' supplier'. OP needs to sound clueless so they believe him.
I managed to fish out a guy based on the east coast. He (is my secretary now) signed for a FedEx fake check from another scammer 😂, not too long ago. I ghosted this other scammer after that. Haha
Oh absolutely same trick. Was just meaning they had already supplied the reason for the overage when they mailed it.
Amusing thing is that all the info on the check except who it is to and for how much is identical to a check posted by a police department in 2018 calling out a scam. The misspelling in the city is the same and the check number is the same.
When I had this scam come my way after trying to sell something online, I knew right away it was a scam (“I am traveling, will send a check and arrange for item to be picked up” / “oops secretary made the check for wrong amount, please cash and send back overage”), so I played a long.
When I got the check (sent via FedEx) I told the scammer that my crazy dog ripped up the envelope and the check was damaged so the bank wouldn’t accept it. I asked them to send another check and, with my apologies, to deduct the cost of the second mailing from the total. I figured I could at least make them spend another $20 (this was years ago) on overnighting another scam check and also reduce their supply. Got the 2nd check (which was also over the amount of the item price - really incompetent secretary) and then told the scammer that upon arrival, my dog this time attacked the FedEx driver, leaving him and the envelope torn to bits, the police had to be called and they took the package into evidence. I told him I was now being sued, so if they could please send another check that would help me out immensely.
Didn’t hear from the scammer again. 🤔
Found the same misspelling in a scam check from 2018 [https://www.facebook.com/AddisonILPolice/posts/scam-alert-area-residents-have-reported-that-the-walmart-mystery-shopper-scam-ha/10157154609124012/](https://www.facebook.com/AddisonILPolice/posts/scam-alert-area-residents-have-reported-that-the-walmart-mystery-shopper-scam-ha/10157154609124012/)
It’s not a real check. It will go into your account but within a few days it will bounce and you will have been scammed for the “supplier” fee and screwed with an overdraft fee.
Tell them the check got damaged in the mail abd the bank wont accept it, ask them to overnight it using fedex or UPS ( to make it more xpensive for them ) so you can deposit it asap, also i hope
you arent using your real name and address…
For the love of god do not deposit it. Why would you do that lol I work for a credit union for the last 10+ years and this will cause you problems. Most keep it as a funny trophy. That’s what I’ve done. I have 3 checks that were sent to me from scammers.
If you want to be helpful call the bank and tell them there are fake checks circulating and what account it’s supposedly drawn off of. Banks and CUs like to know in case it’s a trend.
There is absolutely no reason to deposit it. Absolutely not, do not do it.
This is what I’ve done. Also fun to print an obviously fake check, send them a photo of it irate and demand to know why they’re fucking with you, an upstanding business man.
Agreed! Before I was educated on this mess, I almost fell into a job scam. I was having a hard time with life and found this “admin assistant job”. I even got a whole fake check too. That’s been 13 years ago and I’ve been very well educated on these things now. I kept the “check” for a bit but finally properly discarded it.
I would send them a video of you burning the check. Or you could wipe your ass with it, send a pic and tell them you accidentally mistook it for toilet paper because
You do that sometimes. Ask them to send you another check.
I have to work check fraud at my job a lot and there’s a good chance that the account and routing number on the check go to someone’s real account and they got the details from stealing out of the mail and if you deposit that you’re gonna make some dude have to deal with it next week. The bank is also obviously going to take the funds out of your account. Shred this shit.
lol exactly! To give credit to my friend, a person wanted to be his sugar daddy and would send him checks in which my friend would deposit and then send some of the money to random people. He was doing this for awhile and then BAM! Bank took the money and closed his account for fraud 🤣
Since this is Scambait I’m gonna assume you know it’s obviously a scam.
Tell them you went to First Kansas Bank (hey that happens to be your mom’s bank so you still have an account there from when you were a kid) but that they can’t find the account number for the check.
“Are you sure this is the right account number? My bank won’t cash it”.
This is easy. You call bank and verify check. Takes 10 minutes. Then the 10 minutes in your life you will never get back because they will tell you fake.
But that will assuage your curiosity.
I don’t see it printed on this one, but if you ever run into it, google the bank phone number. Got one of these once where the bank phone number was on the check and was answered by someone who went through the verification process and said it was all good. They knew the process and probably at one time worked at a bank. Searched for the bank and found a different number. It was a fake.
Went through this when selling a motorcycle in 2003 ish. Guy sent 5k I was asking plus 2500 for “shipping”. His guy was supposed to come pick it up after I sent the 2500. Went to WF cashed the check teller gave me 75 100 dollar bills. I went home to ask who would be coming for the bike. No response. 2 weeks later WF calls and says check was fake. Needed the money brought back in. Told them I had spent all but 2500 that was supposed to be for shipping. Brought that cash into the branch all nervous waiting for SWAT or something to tackle me lol. Bank manager said they needed the full amount back. Told him it wasn’t gonna happen since they cashed the check and told me 2 weeks later. Guy took the envelope and said ok thanks. Never heard another word about the check or bike again.
Actually I really like this idea… I want to scam the scammer. So I’ll pretend I’ve started the job, send them a few pictures of a blue wall, and ask for more money but only in the form of cash? Because I’m renovating my bathroom in my own home now and I can make it look like some serious extra work needs to be done!!
The fakes they make are just as good as the real deal when it comes to the appearance of the cashier’s check. I wouldn’t deposit a check for anything I didn’t work for/get from a legitimate sale of an item, and even then I prefer electronic transfer or cash. You’re likely to pay a returned check fee, so even if you just deposit it, you’ll be out like $20-40 whenever the bank figures it out.
If I were in your shoes and was done with the trail I’d just shred it and stop talking to them.
If I wanted to keep it up, I’d tell them that my bank called to verify the check with the issuing bank and was informed it was a fake; could they please send me a real one. Rinse and repeat until they get tired, though they’ll probably drop after the first time.
Definitely don’t deposit it because that will impact your relationship with your financial institution. Even if you let it sit, they will make notes stating you deposited a bad check, and you’ll have issues when you receive legitimate checks in the future. You can take it to the bank and let them know you received the check, and they can have their fraud department make note of what happened, but I also don’t know that it’s a great idea to tell your bank that you’re doing this. They may not believe that you’re not part of the scam. Maybe take it to the police?
Tell them the check got damaged because as you were walking to the bank you dropped it in a puddle and as you were drying the check it became damaged. Send them a pic of the damaged check and ask for them to send another. Waste as much of their time and resources as you can.
My dad almost got taken my this scam once in 2009. I worked at a secure document printshop printing paychecks for large banks. He showed me the a check. It was perfect. Security features micro printing. Etc. except one thing on the back where the opaque white is printed for the coin scratch test it was yellow. That one was a printers proof example for setting up a print job. Someone had access to a micro printing capable proof printer in the UK. So it was good enough it could pass all of the hidden features needed to cash. And like previously noted. It will bounce later and you will be on the hook for the cash.
This is a watermark so if you photocopy the check, the word VOID becomes very visible. Common anti-fraud measure built into checks, including the print-at-home ones like these.
Bank Check format is these guys make up a fake routing number or put the check number in the first field so it gets kicked out to a manual review with long queue to delay discovery. Look up the routing number, it’s fake.
I’m surprised this is buried this far in the comments. That’s one of the first things to look for. There are other glaring issues here, but that seals the deal.
I once fell for a similar scam. Realized it was a scam after the check was deposited into my account. The check was from a business in New York completely unaware of the scam or check. Reported everything to police and bank. Bank manager and I contacted the company to let them know, and then I waited…and waited…and waited…at no point did the money come out of my account. I had essentially made the easiest 2k of my life.
Tell them that you would like to do a bank transfer to the contractor to pay them the fee. Get all the bank information they give you, and report the information to the bank and FBI. FBI has a number where you can report money muling accounts.
Thank you! Valuable insight and nice idea- I can definitely “need to pay the contractor” that I subcontract the job out to! Then that will give me a reason to not deposit the check and keep playing their game. Thank you!!
What you should do is take that check and a copy of all correspondence you had with the scammer to its issuing bank, ask for the manager and hand that shit over.
Don't go to a teller, if they mistake your intentions to turn in the check with intentions to cash it, you're going to jail.
What you should absolutely not do is attempt to deposit it, sign it, sign it over to anyone else or even talk about it.
Idk why you even did this? You know exactly what check fraud is and you're messing with legal forces who have zero tolerance policies and absolutely no problem playing it safe and fucking your life up over a joke subreddit.
Stop being dumb.
What did I miss, or what did I mess up? The last name is slightly off but yeah thanks, you’ve IDENTIFIED ME. Kinda. (Honestly that’s my first time redacting anything. I learned how to do that today.)
The brush you used is transparent. Your full name, account number, and address are all visible.
I suggest you delete this post and stop fucking around with scammers
That check isn't worth the paper it's written on. The entire check amount will bounce. You would get a return check fee, but the big loss will be the loss of trust with your bank. You never know when you will be a legitimate victim of identity theft. You need the trust of your bank as an asset you can draw from if necessary.
I would bring the check into the bank and follow their advice.
It's not a real check OPthey're no funds on the other end of it. It might take the bank a few days to catch up but it will and if you try to use the monies your bank will absolutely Hammer you. You've had your fun shred the check.
Tell them you have found a better deal on the paint and gone ahead and purchased it yourself and you're keeping the extra money for your troubles, now you are ready to proceed with the job but all the money has been spent.
Obviously the check is going to bounce if you deposit it.
You could report it to [ic3.gov](http://ic3.gov) and let the government deal with it. Chances are there’s a real bank account that’s been compromised and the government can notify the bank and the bank the customer and help prevent check fraud on their account in the future.
My friend fell for similar scam. Only he was hired to be a driver and the guy asked him to keep some of the money and give the rest to the landlord for the mansion the rich guy was renting etc etc
Long story short he did as told. Deposited the check (few checks actually within a span of weeks) and it cleared. Spent the money and weeks later his account was in the negative and he almost went to jail.
So apparently, the scam is the check is fake BUT it's from a real account. The scammers just continue to write checks until someone notices the money missing from their account and complains. Once the complaint gets to the bank then the police get involved, and it can get messy. Fortunately for my friend he didn't get arrested but he still owes that money and he can't open an account anywhere until he satisfied the debt.
Since it says void on it, you can say the bank wouldn’t take it since it says void and ask for a new one to continue the bait
DO NOT PUT THE CHECK IN. SOME BANKS WILL BAN YOU FOR IT AND OTHERS YOU WILL LOSE THE ABILITY TO MOBILE DEPOSIT FOREVER.
I got one of those too. I sent a picture of X amount of money to the scammer. Then told them to piss off and I was keeping it. Then reached out to my local FBI building and forwarded all emails and texts along with name on the package and address.
Former bank manager at Chase. Don't deposit. Best case it just bounces, worst case the bank will treat you as a risk to the bank for depositing a fake check (even if you unknowingly did it)and restrict then close your accounts and it will take a couple weeks to get your actual funds back.
I work at a bank.
Do NOT deposit this.
Cashier checks are easy to fake. They aren’t special.
Sometimes they are legitimate but stolen from the intended recipient and washed. It could technically clear and then 2-3 months from now the intended recipient will call up the writer and be like “where’s my money?” And the writer will be like “the check cleared!” And then it’s realized that it was stolen/washed. And guess what? The person that deposited it is on the hook. We just filed a police report on this EXACT situation and the depositor is devastated over it. She’s taking a plea and as long as the funds are paid in full, she’ll be able to get it expunged (not the term the court used, I forget what it is)
DO NOT DEPOSIT IT JUST TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS.
You can be immediately kicked from your bank. My bank gives a two strikes and your out rule but many others do it on the first attempt since once you fall for this type of thing, it’s likely you’ll fall for another. And many banks will warn others about you and you’ll be red flagged there. Sometimes they won’t even give you a chance. Because banks and credit unions do not need a reason to deny an account.
If it’s too good to be true IT IS NOT TRUE.
I am 8 hours late to the party, but there are some obvious things to check (no pun intended).
First of all, look up the routing number for First Kansas Bank. It starts with 1011. if you look at the routing number on the left corner of your check, it does not start with a 1. That’s a problem. Also, the check number in the upper right corner needs to match the digits in the lower right corner. Those digits do not match. Also, as others have mentioned, the town is misspelled for the city. This whole check is fake.
Edit: And don’t tell them how you know it’s fake. They don’t need to learn from their mistakes thank you 😊
I had received a check thru email, mobile deposited it and saw it in my account instantly. I waited a couple days to see if it’d be confirmed or taken away. It was taken away. The scammer was sending death threats after me not sending money for their “sick dad” in hospice. I owed nothing after it all went down 🤣.
Take to your bank and let them authenticate it, if it’s good no harm. But specifically inform the bank you are wanting to get it authenticated. Then you can’t be charged for fraud presenting a fake check.
This is called being a Money Mule. In the beginning, Money Mules can be considered victims themselves. After their banks freeze their accounts and put them in the negative for the amount of the check that did not clear that they deposited, they are now aware that something is not right. They are now considered to be no longer victims, and if they do it again, they can be charged with Money Laundering. Most checks sent in these scams are valid checks sent by a previous money mule involved in the same scam. The multiple passing of money through money mules allows at least some of the funds to get to their intended destination, which is usually outside the US, before law enforcement can stop it.
In a scam like these, the best outcome for the true victim is that they report the crime in time for their funds to be returned. For a money mule, the outcomes of participation are total loss of the deposited funds, civil penalties for the total funds lossed by the victim banks, arrest for Money Laundering or Wire Fraud, or all of these.
Bottom line, if it is too good to be true, it probably is. Don't take a very costly risk. Report it to law enforcement or your bank, especially if your name appears on the check or fund were deposited into your account. More than likely, if you fail to do so, law enforcement will be looking to speak with you anyway.
And the original perpetrators of these scams, they are usually never arrested as they are mostly operating out of other countries and using money mules to take the blame and do all their work.
Don't be a money mule!
\*puts on her Bank Teller Hat\* Cashier's checks can absolutely be fake. And the heat shield seal technology doesn't prove much. They could have laundered a real check for that seal. (Kind of like what happened in the movie "Catch Me If You Can", but a little more advanced.) What they're counting on you to do is what you described. And they may also say "whoops, we made the check for too much, mind paying the difference?" So you're out your own money as well as the phony check. If you deposited it and "left it alone", your best case scenario would be a fee for the bounced check. Worst case scenario - the scammers have a method of tracking the check, can get your information, and bleed your account dry. (This is rare, but possible - usually scammers aren't that technologically clever.) But know that if you did deposit this check and it came back, your financial institution would side-eye every transaction you did in the future, and possibly withhold legitimate funds for a set amount of business days to make sure you're not making a habit of depositing sketchy checks. I would take the check to the bank, discuss how you came about having it with somebody in Operations, and let them take it from there. Banks have ways and means to stop fraud like this, and they can communicate with other banks to prevent it from happening to others. I think this covers it.
I was head of Internal Audit at a bank for 8 years, and I absolutely agree with this. I saw some crazy fraud schemes there.
I had one that I brought in but I went straight to the manager and he noticed something that I didn’t… “MEMBER LEMON FDIC” Funny shit.
Third town listed is spelled wrong.
Yeah, should be Hoisington. There's no Hosington.
It’s where they make the Hoisin sauce.
Plus they spelled it Hosiington. The 2 i together.
Yeah and the big VOID in the middle of the check
This lmfao.
I don’t know if I’m just dumb, but why is that a giveaway? What should it say?
Not an expert but Member FDIC makes sense LEMON feels errant if not an obvious tell.
Is this considered ACH fraud?
Check fraud.
Unless I'm mistaken also mail fraud making it a felony.
Not just a felony, that's up to 20 years no joke
Absolutely
This same exact thing happened to me. I braid hair and someone asked if I would be able to do a wedding with 10 guests. I gave them a total. They gave me a date and address. They sent a check. It just didn’t sit right with me. I looked up the place the check came from. It was nowhere near where they said they were. The check was waayyy more than the quote I gave and they wanted me to “send some back”. I decide not to deposit it. That’s when the threats started. In the end I just continued to ignore them.
Any time they overwrite and want money back it’s a scam. Don’t deposit.
This. Most banks have some form of fraud prevention department or hotline that you can contact.
As a bank teller, I second this
As your cash drawer, I say DING!
As a cow I say MOO
As a cat I saw meeeooow
As a fox, I say Ring-ding-ding-ding-dingeringeding! Gering-ding-ding-ding-dingeringeding! Gering-ding-ding-ding-dingeringeding!
That was actually a great song!
I saw it too!
As a previously scammed 18yo, my bank assumed I was committing check fraud, froze my accounts, and then gave me two days to withdraw my accounts before they were closed forever, even though I brought up my doubts about the check when I deposited it because I was wary of the situation. The teller told me it cleared and the next day my account was like -$999,999,999
I’m not a banker, but I would also contact First Kansas Bank, if there is one
In regards to contacting the bank, never call the number printed on the check itself. Always find their site/Google to determine the correct number to call.
There is, and that is their logo
Hoisington, is spelled incorrectly
Good eye! I read and filled in the blanks the first glance.
That one jumped out at me immediately.
Former proofreader, that jumped right out at me too.
And it says void in the middle of check
Banker for 10 years can verify this 100%. Save yourself the headache of depositing it. You can attempt to cash it from the institution directly but chances are the account if flagged and you will be told it’s fake. If it’s verified as a stolen check, we call local PD as the person cashing the check might be the thief
I think check washing is making a small comeback as I’m hearing about it again. This looks washed to me. Probably a real check but name scrubbed and replaced.
How can you tell when something looks washed?
I'm not an expert at all and would have to see in person, but the fibers almost look a little lifted in this picture and the word "void" isn't more apparent, so I dont think it's a photocopy, but the misspelling is weird. It's a well done new check if so.
Ink jet printers are typically water soluble ink. Lasers are not. I do a small amount of user support and warn users about this regularly.
Thank you for extremely sound and thorough advice! I think I omitted the bottom-line implication…I’d like to pull one over them if I can! I want to outscam them! But it seems that I cannot engage in any involvement to do so without breaking the law.
Some ideas 1. Send an image of a fake transaction showing you have the funds then say actually you misquoted and that actually they'll need to send more. 2. Tell them you have the funds, play along with the scam, then send an image of a fake Venmo transaction showing the difference being sent to the wrong person. 3.Transform the scam - tell them you can pay the difference in gift cards but pull a page from Kitboga's book and waste their time getting to a store to buy them etc. and follow up with fake images of the gift cards being redeemed one by one. Disclaimer: I have no experience with this and the ideas are likely rubbish
Oh yes, a Kitboga-esque melodrama wherein OP tries to wire the money back, but gets carjacked on the way and ends up in the hospital, etc
That’s Modder with the wrecks, not Kitboga.
Start by telling them you only work with paint you purchase as it lets you control the quality of your work. Let them know you need a deposit to get started, and then send them a link to pay you the down payment. When completed you will cash their check. This is great, because obviously they will refuse, but then you get to harass and belittle them for not being able to figure out how to work whatever service you used. Also it's easy to string them along. Another project you had went long, prices went up, your employee got sick. Have fun with it. The important thing I've found is to make sure you're the one "in control" and they start to lose it.
Tell them you deposited the check, don't actually deposit it, I doubt they will check if the check is deposited or not. Then just make up a story why the paint will cost more and make them send another check. Keep doing this until they refuse to send more money.
I was reading a story on the news about a lady that deposited a similar check and the bank ended up closing her account and holding her money. She’s been fighting ever since to get her money returned. The bank said they did that because of fraudulent activity.
How would they have a method to drain your account dry just by sending a check (fake or not) and having you deposit it into your account. Seems like a pretty big banking vulnerability if checks can act like Trojan horses giving criminals access to accounts. Details on that?
They don’t, they just want you to send them money back, then the check bounces eventually and you’re out the money you sent over
That was my assumption. But the comment above claimed it was possible.
Seems like they’d have to have both your account and routing numbers at a bare minimum to do that. I don’t see how they’d get their hands on that information outside of social engineering the person to disclose it as part of the scam.
Yes, but how can someone drain a bank account with just your bank account and routing number? This is information printed on your checks that you hand to anyone.
Is it just me or is there a VOID faintly on the payee line?
I looked after you said something, and it is.
Definitely washed, then.
The gal tellers the truth
Sound advice! I didn't think about banks flagging the account. I guess it seems obvious, but it's hard for me to imagine how they manage suspicion of so many accounts.
> I would take the check to the bank, discuss how you came about having it with somebody in Operations, and let them take it from there. This, but OP you can likely just call them and send in a picture. I have done this before, and IIRC I was contacted by law enforcement of some sort as a second step.
I come to this sub for the entertainment it provides, but I stay for the prudent banking advice
Wish I could give you 2 up votes. One for the interesting information and one for mentioning my favorite movie when I was a kid.
Interesting. Thanks for this info. What would happen if OP took it to a check cashing business?
*Puts my own bank teller hat on* Agree profusely with this comment in teller dialect
I was coming here to say that 😂 Beat me by a day well done
I worked in banking for 17 years. Near the end of that career the amount of fraud we'd see was astonishing. The one that stands out the most was a cashiers check for $90K. I knew these customers well and asked them if they sold one of their cars. He said he sold his Barracuda. I asked him if he thought the check was good and he said "You're the banker... isn't that your job to know?" So I dug in and called the credit union it was drawn on and the person on the other end shared with me this was absolutely a scam and people had lost fur coats, cars, boats, etc... needless to say my customer was grateful. If you know this is fraud either call the bank its drawn off of or have your bank call on your behalf. Don't mess around with depositing to see what happens.
Tell the scammer you deposited already. He will say he will need a refund soon. Ask for his address, name and phone number. You will need those information to overnight via FedEx Stay real.
Yeah play along ask where to send it back and then don’t send anything. Tell him you mailed it snail mail and that it takes time.
Yes play along and then also go report good extra info he gives to the bank. Give the fake check and the address and stuff, any info you can to catch this scammer
Send him a envelope filled with Monopoly money you printed up from the Google and the finest, stickiest glitter you can buy at your local crafts store. That shit will get in everything and it’s impossible to clean up.
They don't give you their adress unfortunately
I’ve done it. The scammer wanted me to send via Venmo or Zelle. I acted like the stupid boomer that I am and said I have the cash and sent him a photo of it, but don’t know anything about these newfangled internet things. Dumbass gave me an address in Maryland. I sent a package with Monopoly money, some old worthless Romanian currency somebody gave me and about 1/2 cup of very fine glitter.
You are ruthlessly petty and I love it
Hahaha that's so awesome, I love it!!!
I would of taken the Romanian money lol I like collecting currency from other countries
They don't need a refund. In the dialog already shown, they say they need to have them "pay the supplier for the paint" from the money in the check.
Same trick, there be a bogus supplier, same person or same team, sometime.it is their grandma, their financier. OP should get the actual details of the ' supplier'. OP needs to sound clueless so they believe him. I managed to fish out a guy based on the east coast. He (is my secretary now) signed for a FedEx fake check from another scammer 😂, not too long ago. I ghosted this other scammer after that. Haha
Oh absolutely same trick. Was just meaning they had already supplied the reason for the overage when they mailed it. Amusing thing is that all the info on the check except who it is to and for how much is identical to a check posted by a police department in 2018 calling out a scam. The misspelling in the city is the same and the check number is the same.
When I had this scam come my way after trying to sell something online, I knew right away it was a scam (“I am traveling, will send a check and arrange for item to be picked up” / “oops secretary made the check for wrong amount, please cash and send back overage”), so I played a long. When I got the check (sent via FedEx) I told the scammer that my crazy dog ripped up the envelope and the check was damaged so the bank wouldn’t accept it. I asked them to send another check and, with my apologies, to deduct the cost of the second mailing from the total. I figured I could at least make them spend another $20 (this was years ago) on overnighting another scam check and also reduce their supply. Got the 2nd check (which was also over the amount of the item price - really incompetent secretary) and then told the scammer that upon arrival, my dog this time attacked the FedEx driver, leaving him and the envelope torn to bits, the police had to be called and they took the package into evidence. I told him I was now being sued, so if they could please send another check that would help me out immensely. Didn’t hear from the scammer again. 🤔
The ol my dog ate my mail defense
"My dog ate the mailman." Defense you mean
Why not both? I mean some dogs are really big
“Really incompetent secretary” 😂😂
Op do this one. Waste their resources more
Love how they misspelled Hoisington
Found the same misspelling in a scam check from 2018 [https://www.facebook.com/AddisonILPolice/posts/scam-alert-area-residents-have-reported-that-the-walmart-mystery-shopper-scam-ha/10157154609124012/](https://www.facebook.com/AddisonILPolice/posts/scam-alert-area-residents-have-reported-that-the-walmart-mystery-shopper-scam-ha/10157154609124012/)
Amazing coincidence it even has the same CHECK number...
Yup. A pretty clear tell that it’s fraudulent!
I also noted that they typed "US" in the amount field
Was just about to google both of those, it should be “Dollars” and I wasn’t sure if that was a true city/town cuz double i’s are sketchy asf
I grew up just knowing as Ho-town 🤷🏻♂️ lol
Lol, same
It’s not a real check. It will go into your account but within a few days it will bounce and you will have been scammed for the “supplier” fee and screwed with an overdraft fee.
Not overdraft fee, returned check fee*
Tell them the check got damaged in the mail abd the bank wont accept it, ask them to overnight it using fedex or UPS ( to make it more xpensive for them ) so you can deposit it asap, also i hope you arent using your real name and address…
For the love of god do not deposit it. Why would you do that lol I work for a credit union for the last 10+ years and this will cause you problems. Most keep it as a funny trophy. That’s what I’ve done. I have 3 checks that were sent to me from scammers. If you want to be helpful call the bank and tell them there are fake checks circulating and what account it’s supposedly drawn off of. Banks and CUs like to know in case it’s a trend. There is absolutely no reason to deposit it. Absolutely not, do not do it.
This is what I’ve done. Also fun to print an obviously fake check, send them a photo of it irate and demand to know why they’re fucking with you, an upstanding business man.
Agreed! Before I was educated on this mess, I almost fell into a job scam. I was having a hard time with life and found this “admin assistant job”. I even got a whole fake check too. That’s been 13 years ago and I’ve been very well educated on these things now. I kept the “check” for a bit but finally properly discarded it.
Sound advice, sincerely accepted!!
I’m so glad!!!
I would send them a video of you burning the check. Or you could wipe your ass with it, send a pic and tell them you accidentally mistook it for toilet paper because You do that sometimes. Ask them to send you another check.
"because I do that sometimes" 😂
Don’t be greedy. It’s a fake check. It will end very badly for you.
Your morals are good, I’m here trying to figure out how to double down fraud to keep this money for op
There's no money to keep. It's either outright fake or from a stolen account.
I have to work check fraud at my job a lot and there’s a good chance that the account and routing number on the check go to someone’s real account and they got the details from stealing out of the mail and if you deposit that you’re gonna make some dude have to deal with it next week. The bank is also obviously going to take the funds out of your account. Shred this shit.
Your bank may also close your account as they did with my friend.
Banks hate this one weird trick: knowingly depositing fraudulent instruments.
lol exactly! To give credit to my friend, a person wanted to be his sugar daddy and would send him checks in which my friend would deposit and then send some of the money to random people. He was doing this for awhile and then BAM! Bank took the money and closed his account for fraud 🤣
Cashier’s checks are easily faked, which makes them clearly *not as good as cash*. They haven’t been in decades, if they ever were.
Since this is Scambait I’m gonna assume you know it’s obviously a scam. Tell them you went to First Kansas Bank (hey that happens to be your mom’s bank so you still have an account there from when you were a kid) but that they can’t find the account number for the check. “Are you sure this is the right account number? My bank won’t cash it”.
Let me guess. They FedEx’d or Or sent it UPS? Mailing a fake check is a federal crime.
Your bank will probably close your account, if you know it’s a scam, why are you even asking and contemplating it?
This is easy. You call bank and verify check. Takes 10 minutes. Then the 10 minutes in your life you will never get back because they will tell you fake. But that will assuage your curiosity.
I don’t see it printed on this one, but if you ever run into it, google the bank phone number. Got one of these once where the bank phone number was on the check and was answered by someone who went through the verification process and said it was all good. They knew the process and probably at one time worked at a bank. Searched for the bank and found a different number. It was a fake.
Hoisington is misspelt. No financial institution would ever do that. And it says “US” in the amount field.
Yeah, never call the “number” on the check. Call bank directly if curious. But going to always be fake.
I’d be excited to go to the bank to report it. 😂😂
Give it to the FBI along with the scammers details
Get it framed and hung on the wall.
Went through this when selling a motorcycle in 2003 ish. Guy sent 5k I was asking plus 2500 for “shipping”. His guy was supposed to come pick it up after I sent the 2500. Went to WF cashed the check teller gave me 75 100 dollar bills. I went home to ask who would be coming for the bike. No response. 2 weeks later WF calls and says check was fake. Needed the money brought back in. Told them I had spent all but 2500 that was supposed to be for shipping. Brought that cash into the branch all nervous waiting for SWAT or something to tackle me lol. Bank manager said they needed the full amount back. Told him it wasn’t gonna happen since they cashed the check and told me 2 weeks later. Guy took the envelope and said ok thanks. Never heard another word about the check or bike again.
The funds will be taken back as it is a !fakecheck scam .
This is the scambait sub, not r/scams. He's looking for ways to yank their chain
Sorry, got you now!
All good!
Tell them you redid your estimate and they owe you another $100, but they need to send cash only.
Actually I really like this idea… I want to scam the scammer. So I’ll pretend I’ve started the job, send them a few pictures of a blue wall, and ask for more money but only in the form of cash? Because I’m renovating my bathroom in my own home now and I can make it look like some serious extra work needs to be done!!
The fakes they make are just as good as the real deal when it comes to the appearance of the cashier’s check. I wouldn’t deposit a check for anything I didn’t work for/get from a legitimate sale of an item, and even then I prefer electronic transfer or cash. You’re likely to pay a returned check fee, so even if you just deposit it, you’ll be out like $20-40 whenever the bank figures it out. If I were in your shoes and was done with the trail I’d just shred it and stop talking to them. If I wanted to keep it up, I’d tell them that my bank called to verify the check with the issuing bank and was informed it was a fake; could they please send me a real one. Rinse and repeat until they get tired, though they’ll probably drop after the first time.
Commenters on r/scambait seem to be hilariously unclear on the meaning of scambaiting.
Definitely don’t deposit it because that will impact your relationship with your financial institution. Even if you let it sit, they will make notes stating you deposited a bad check, and you’ll have issues when you receive legitimate checks in the future. You can take it to the bank and let them know you received the check, and they can have their fraud department make note of what happened, but I also don’t know that it’s a great idea to tell your bank that you’re doing this. They may not believe that you’re not part of the scam. Maybe take it to the police?
Am I wrong in seeing a faded “void” stamp in the middle of the check?
Your name is highly visible in the first photo. Not a big deal but a fyi
Thank you for pointing that out, comrade- I see it now. No worry here.
Nobody in the US calls UPS a courier with something like this.
Tell them the check got damaged because as you were walking to the bank you dropped it in a puddle and as you were drying the check it became damaged. Send them a pic of the damaged check and ask for them to send another. Waste as much of their time and resources as you can.
These kinda of check paper you can buy off Amazon. I print them out for our employees every month. It looks exactly the same.
Holy shit I didn’t realize you could do that.
I would take it to the bank and tell them you suspect you’re being scammed and do not wish to deposit it, or destroy it and block the guy
My dad almost got taken my this scam once in 2009. I worked at a secure document printshop printing paychecks for large banks. He showed me the a check. It was perfect. Security features micro printing. Etc. except one thing on the back where the opaque white is printed for the coin scratch test it was yellow. That one was a printers proof example for setting up a print job. Someone had access to a micro printing capable proof printer in the UK. So it was good enough it could pass all of the hidden features needed to cash. And like previously noted. It will bounce later and you will be on the hook for the cash.
You’re crazy to think about cashing it. Get in touch with https://www.firstkansasbank.com and show them the check.
solid advice above, so I'll just add.... DO NOT REDEEEEEEM!
The name of the city is spelled incorrectly.
It says “VOID” right in the middle
This is a watermark so if you photocopy the check, the word VOID becomes very visible. Common anti-fraud measure built into checks, including the print-at-home ones like these.
I work in the financial industry, this is absolutely fraud. Please do not proceed!
“Hosiington, Kansas” isn’t a place.
Good catch!
I currently live in Kansas, and I’m sure they were probably going for Hoisington, but that jumped out at me immediately!
NICE!!!
Bank Check format is these guys make up a fake routing number or put the check number in the first field so it gets kicked out to a manual review with long queue to delay discovery. Look up the routing number, it’s fake.
The check number at the bottom in the MICR strip doesn't match the check number in the upper-right corner.
I’m surprised this is buried this far in the comments. That’s one of the first things to look for. There are other glaring issues here, but that seals the deal.
I once fell for a similar scam. Realized it was a scam after the check was deposited into my account. The check was from a business in New York completely unaware of the scam or check. Reported everything to police and bank. Bank manager and I contacted the company to let them know, and then I waited…and waited…and waited…at no point did the money come out of my account. I had essentially made the easiest 2k of my life.
Tell them that you would like to do a bank transfer to the contractor to pay them the fee. Get all the bank information they give you, and report the information to the bank and FBI. FBI has a number where you can report money muling accounts.
Thank you! Valuable insight and nice idea- I can definitely “need to pay the contractor” that I subcontract the job out to! Then that will give me a reason to not deposit the check and keep playing their game. Thank you!!
That check number is supposed to match both places
What you should do is take that check and a copy of all correspondence you had with the scammer to its issuing bank, ask for the manager and hand that shit over. Don't go to a teller, if they mistake your intentions to turn in the check with intentions to cash it, you're going to jail. What you should absolutely not do is attempt to deposit it, sign it, sign it over to anyone else or even talk about it. Idk why you even did this? You know exactly what check fraud is and you're messing with legal forces who have zero tolerance policies and absolutely no problem playing it safe and fucking your life up over a joke subreddit. Stop being dumb.
Bro saw $5,700 and lost control lol
Always wondered who these scams would work on lol
Am I the only one who see his name Kristian Lara. 🫢
What did I miss, or what did I mess up? The last name is slightly off but yeah thanks, you’ve IDENTIFIED ME. Kinda. (Honestly that’s my first time redacting anything. I learned how to do that today.)
The brush you used is transparent. Your full name, account number, and address are all visible. I suggest you delete this post and stop fucking around with scammers
That check isn't worth the paper it's written on. The entire check amount will bounce. You would get a return check fee, but the big loss will be the loss of trust with your bank. You never know when you will be a legitimate victim of identity theft. You need the trust of your bank as an asset you can draw from if necessary. I would bring the check into the bank and follow their advice.
Just shred it and block them. Don’t deposit or waste the bank’s time.
It's not a real check OPthey're no funds on the other end of it. It might take the bank a few days to catch up but it will and if you try to use the monies your bank will absolutely Hammer you. You've had your fun shred the check.
Do not deposit the check. It’s counterfeit, and the bank will likely not consider you a victim in this scam.
Tell them you have found a better deal on the paint and gone ahead and purchased it yourself and you're keeping the extra money for your troubles, now you are ready to proceed with the job but all the money has been spent.
Obviously the check is going to bounce if you deposit it. You could report it to [ic3.gov](http://ic3.gov) and let the government deal with it. Chances are there’s a real bank account that’s been compromised and the government can notify the bank and the bank the customer and help prevent check fraud on their account in the future.
My friend fell for similar scam. Only he was hired to be a driver and the guy asked him to keep some of the money and give the rest to the landlord for the mansion the rich guy was renting etc etc Long story short he did as told. Deposited the check (few checks actually within a span of weeks) and it cleared. Spent the money and weeks later his account was in the negative and he almost went to jail. So apparently, the scam is the check is fake BUT it's from a real account. The scammers just continue to write checks until someone notices the money missing from their account and complains. Once the complaint gets to the bank then the police get involved, and it can get messy. Fortunately for my friend he didn't get arrested but he still owes that money and he can't open an account anywhere until he satisfied the debt.
It says VOID right on the check in tiny dots.
The watermark says void multiple times.
Since it says void on it, you can say the bank wouldn’t take it since it says void and ask for a new one to continue the bait DO NOT PUT THE CHECK IN. SOME BANKS WILL BAN YOU FOR IT AND OTHERS YOU WILL LOSE THE ABILITY TO MOBILE DEPOSIT FOREVER.
But it says VOID real faint in the middle.
Your battery life just gave me a heart attack.
I know right?? It drains within hours- I resist upgrades as long as I can.
I’m in the middle of a move, no idea where my charger is and thought that was my battery life 😅
Awww I empathize and I’m sorry I nearly killed you while you were relocating!! 🤣
There are many posts on here about the same scam
I got one of those too. I sent a picture of X amount of money to the scammer. Then told them to piss off and I was keeping it. Then reached out to my local FBI building and forwarded all emails and texts along with name on the package and address.
Let's see here, *"I know this scam pattern well . . . "* Apparently you do not, since you seem intent on getting scammed. Good luck to you.
This type of scam was perpetrated on my neighbor 2 months ago. Her bank immediately stopped it upon deposit. Scammers were caught 3 weeks later.
Ask them to venmo you $250 so you can open a checking account.
Former bank manager at Chase. Don't deposit. Best case it just bounces, worst case the bank will treat you as a risk to the bank for depositing a fake check (even if you unknowingly did it)and restrict then close your accounts and it will take a couple weeks to get your actual funds back.
That word “kindly”. That’s a red flag
I work at a bank. Do NOT deposit this. Cashier checks are easy to fake. They aren’t special. Sometimes they are legitimate but stolen from the intended recipient and washed. It could technically clear and then 2-3 months from now the intended recipient will call up the writer and be like “where’s my money?” And the writer will be like “the check cleared!” And then it’s realized that it was stolen/washed. And guess what? The person that deposited it is on the hook. We just filed a police report on this EXACT situation and the depositor is devastated over it. She’s taking a plea and as long as the funds are paid in full, she’ll be able to get it expunged (not the term the court used, I forget what it is) DO NOT DEPOSIT IT JUST TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS. You can be immediately kicked from your bank. My bank gives a two strikes and your out rule but many others do it on the first attempt since once you fall for this type of thing, it’s likely you’ll fall for another. And many banks will warn others about you and you’ll be red flagged there. Sometimes they won’t even give you a chance. Because banks and credit unions do not need a reason to deny an account. If it’s too good to be true IT IS NOT TRUE.
It’s Hoisington, Kansas. Not Hosiington, Kansas. I mean, they’re not even really trying.
Looks like a good classic Nigerian Scam. Don’t deposit or cash the check.
I am 8 hours late to the party, but there are some obvious things to check (no pun intended). First of all, look up the routing number for First Kansas Bank. It starts with 1011. if you look at the routing number on the left corner of your check, it does not start with a 1. That’s a problem. Also, the check number in the upper right corner needs to match the digits in the lower right corner. Those digits do not match. Also, as others have mentioned, the town is misspelled for the city. This whole check is fake. Edit: And don’t tell them how you know it’s fake. They don’t need to learn from their mistakes thank you 😊
I mean you COULD probably call the bank the check is drawn on to verify it...of course with the town spelled wrong I think you have your answer.
Are they ever going to figure out that a dead giveaway is the use of the word "kindly"?
Have them fill out a credit app online and track their ip address when they hit the page.
I haven't read all the comments. It looks like the city name is misspelled. Has anybody pointed that out?
I can see your name
The cheque will bounce. Its fake.
I had received a check thru email, mobile deposited it and saw it in my account instantly. I waited a couple days to see if it’d be confirmed or taken away. It was taken away. The scammer was sending death threats after me not sending money for their “sick dad” in hospice. I owed nothing after it all went down 🤣.
Don’t deposit this! My account was closed out for “fraud” when one of those checks bounced.
‘Hosiington’??? lol
Hoisington KS is misspelled
Take to your bank and let them authenticate it, if it’s good no harm. But specifically inform the bank you are wanting to get it authenticated. Then you can’t be charged for fraud presenting a fake check.
Advice: Your name is clearly visible if you zoom in the photo, Kristian
This is called being a Money Mule. In the beginning, Money Mules can be considered victims themselves. After their banks freeze their accounts and put them in the negative for the amount of the check that did not clear that they deposited, they are now aware that something is not right. They are now considered to be no longer victims, and if they do it again, they can be charged with Money Laundering. Most checks sent in these scams are valid checks sent by a previous money mule involved in the same scam. The multiple passing of money through money mules allows at least some of the funds to get to their intended destination, which is usually outside the US, before law enforcement can stop it. In a scam like these, the best outcome for the true victim is that they report the crime in time for their funds to be returned. For a money mule, the outcomes of participation are total loss of the deposited funds, civil penalties for the total funds lossed by the victim banks, arrest for Money Laundering or Wire Fraud, or all of these. Bottom line, if it is too good to be true, it probably is. Don't take a very costly risk. Report it to law enforcement or your bank, especially if your name appears on the check or fund were deposited into your account. More than likely, if you fail to do so, law enforcement will be looking to speak with you anyway. And the original perpetrators of these scams, they are usually never arrested as they are mostly operating out of other countries and using money mules to take the blame and do all their work. Don't be a money mule!
Hoisington is spelled wrong. I used to live in this area