FakeChecks.org – Exposing The Classic Online Check Scam
Please visit: FakeChecks.org
I’ve been watching the greatest series of TV advertisements for online phony check scams. From my point of view, this is truly one of the most successful ads campaigns I’ve ever seen. Each 15 second ad closes with a sentence like, “Some scams just don’t work in person”.
Their message is so very clear and accurate, they are showing us that the silly scams you find on the Net would never work face to face.
The ad I like most, goes like this… a dirty and poorly dressed man approaches a guy sitting in a coffee house and explains that he is a wealthy foreign dignitary and is recovering a large sum of money from his country. He is sweating and shaking a bit, then pulls a crumpled old check out of his pocket and explains that the guy he approached can keep a large sum of money from this check if he cashes it and wires most of it back. The guy sitting in the coffee house has a BIG smile on his face and looks over to the dirty old guy and says, “No thanks get lost”….some scams just don’t work in person!
The point of the campaign is obvious, DON’T get scammed by online check fraud schemes, but the idea of avoiding online scams by acting it out face to face with another person really makes the ad deliver.
How many online scams simply would not work, if you sat face to face with your possible victim?
This experiment would be awesome substituting an HYIPs ponzi scam in for the check fraud. I need to buy a video camera.
Their advertisement shows us how ridiculous such a scheme really is — hence the catch phrase, some Internet scams don’t work in person.
There is some good interactive material and great video on their web site at www.fakechecks.org including victim interviews. Its definitely worth a visit and a few minutes of your time.
Unfortunately, my favorite enlightening TV commercials are not yet available from their web site, but they go out and try some check scams and capture the whole thing on hidden camera set ups. This web is a product of the National Consumers League (NCL) which is the oldest nonprofit consumer organization in the United States.
Send e-mail scammer note: “Will meet your rep at my bank xxx Smith St. Palm Desert, Ca 92260
next Mnday at 10 A.M. Will pay customs and courier costs in cash once check has cleared. ”
You’ll never be bothered again.
I am so happy they are exposing these people. I received a cvhecvk just like this two times in a row. I brought it to the bank right away and let them deal with it. This second time I finally got angry and called the bank and told them, they said they could not do anything until a fake check is cashed. I also called the company who was scaming the other company and she hung up on me when i told her i knew they were scamming.
I am sad we can not do anything to these people until they actually hurt someone else and their bank acount.
they have mailed me a check for $4880.00 and want me to call 905-920-0762 Ext. 200 press1 say name and wait for answer for detailed instuctions. They want me to make a $50.00 Wal-Mart purchase, $40.00 Gap purchase, $2600.00 Western Union transfer with a $150.00 service charge, Money gram transfer $1400.00 with a $50.00 service charge and $600.00 evaluation training and expenses
Mr. Carpenter,
That’s amazing, I heard of these scams but never meet anyone that got this far along. I get thousands of the solicitations online but never respond, did you get this originally in an email? How did you get the check and did you cash it? What happens now, did you call the FBI? I’d love to hear more about this from you. Please comment or I’ll try email. Thank you for your input, that’s really amazing.
Mark
About a year ago, after a lot of “red tape”, I got a check for about 3,000 dollars. Took it to my bank to deposit it. I asked the teller if she could check the checks authenticity. She did and it was fake. I get a lot of UK lottery winning scams too. When you send a little information back, or try to, you find out that there is no such address.
Last March my daughter-in-law got a check in the mail, and we took it to my bank and asked if was a good check. The teller said everything appeared to be inorder and deposited the check into my account. After waiting several days I called the bank to see if the check had “cleared” I was told the funds were avialable and I could use the money. In a few days the bank called and said the check had been returned with a stop payment. I had the daughter-in-law call and she was told it was a mistake and they would issue another check which they did and for the second time it came back as a stop payment. I approched the bank for a lone to repay the funds and was refused because I live on a fixed income. The next two months the bank took all of my income for the month and left me with nothing to live on. I could have repaid the money “IF” they would have worked with me. Now what little credit I had is wrecked and I have to live with the fact that I owe this money and the shame of it eats at me everyday.Everywhere I looked for help all I got thats a tuff brake but no we can’t help you. Some one please get these criminals and put them behind bars.
I have been getting a scam that is using microsoft name. How can I let them know that this is going on?
I get these e-mails saying I am next of kin, and they want to send me money from a bank in Nigeria. And they want money for transaction fees. I told them I was not going to help, but they keep sending me e-mails and calling me. I told them I am disabled and on a fixed income. What should I do? Say I will forward their e-mails to the FBI? Or to fakechecks.org? Please help me.
Dawn
I would like to know how would I be able to detect a phoney check if it states that it’s a CERTIFIED CHECK or MONEY ORDER. There are a vast number of scam artist on the internet hiding under the color of needing a go between to cash a check or money order for them in the USA and send (90 or85 )percent to them in the UK and I would retain (10 or 15) percent for myself. This is supposed to be a part time job. The Company is alleged to have customers in the US and they will pay me in a check or money order in my name. I am supposed to send them ninety percent or eighty five percent of the check or money order to the UK. I am somewhat suspicious of this part time job. I have completed their application form which required my name, address, age, gender, marital status, country of birth, cell phone no, home phone no, email address, current job status, current office address and how long had I been working. This supposed to be a Textile and Fabric Material company. Please advise. Thank you. W. Z.
Dawn thank you for your comment. Things for you to remember. DO NOT ACCEPT ANY MONEY FROM STRANGERS and JUST HANG UP.
I get about two dozen of these emails each week, I simply delete them, also if someone is calling you about this same scam, HANG UP. Don’t be afraid to answer, just hang up immediately.
You can forward your scam emails and complaints to the local, State or Federal law enforcement organization and to the Internet cops – http://www.ic3.gov/
and I recommend that also, but I’m sure they get tens of thousands of them already.
Your best defense is a good offense. HANG UP right away and delete the emails right away, don’t keep reading them they are all fake scams to steal your money, just delete them.
Best of luck.
Mark
Walter, if you were camping in the woods, went to sleep in your tent and awoke the next day naked, bleeding and tied to a tree, with used condoms all around you, when you returned home to your family….would you tell anyone?
No? Want to go camping with me Walter?
Your answer, that info… is what you just told these crooks by filling out that ‘job application’.
You are about to be financially raped Walter….there is no job, no income and you will awake in a LOT OF TROUBLE with your local law enforcement.
This is a scam to allow a criminals’ access and use of your local bank account(s). You will receive fake or stolen documents, cash them, send money out only to find a day or a week later YOUR bank is holding you liable and the Police want to talk to you about your participation in a felony and your profit. Ever been to Jail or Prison Walter? It does not say that on your new job description but that’s one of the perks.
DO NOT EVEN ATTEMPT TO CASH ONE OF THOSE CHECKS or MO’S. You will regret it the rest of your life.
Sorry to be so rude, but I hope I got the point across, this is a very bad situation you are in.
Mark
Thanks Mark. I will do that.
The infomation & topic has been a hot issue.
But did anyone mention about the list of company or the names that they use to carry their cons?
well there is a man that says he is a recurter for a company out of La. he even has the companies direct link in his email. i looked at the company and checked the on the BB. They had a AA rating which is grest means they are reputiabel. So i called the head of human resources for the company and asked for the man who was sending me the emails. He stated that he no longer wirked there. So i knew right away it was a scame. I forworded the emails to the director of human resources just so he could see how this guy was operating and ruinin the good name of the company. About a week later via FED EX i recieved a check from this man and an email asking me to western union it to 2 diffrent people out of the country. ook the check and all the e mails even the one with the instructions to the bank and let them deal with it.
I rec’d a fake check from a company called EVERGREEN INTERNATIONAL,INC, looked real enough, my husband deposited it into our account before I could stop him, needless to say now we have all kinds of banking problems, is there someone who can help me? I would like to file a complant?
I recieved 4 checks today in the form of postal money orders. They looked real enough so I took them to the postoffice and inquired to see if they were in fact real. The post office worker looked real close and handed them back!!!!!! then laughed and said no but they were real good fakes. The thing that worries me is they just gave them back and seemed unconserned they were forgeries!!!!! Whats this world comming to when it is a joke when someone has a hand full of forged checks!!!!
I applied on line from an ad on craigslist in regards to a office position. I received and email stating that they had considered me for the position and that I would be working from home. they called me over the phone and did an interview over the phone. i later received an email with job details. In a couple of hours I got a ups envelope with a check for $2600. they told me to deposit the check and then wire the money to england. I would keep $265.00 dollars for the transaction .
He kept emailing asking me in regards to the check. I too teh check to the bank and it turned out to be fake. the police where called and the are investigating…. be careful. its hard for some people due to the current situation but don’t let this horrible people take advantage of you….