Fake Check! Now what

Anonymous · ‎10-10-2007

I just spoke to my aunt. SHe is the sweetest women in the world and extremely naive. Seems she received a check from the International Lottery in the mail she cashed it!!! Of course they told her to send the money to release the rest of her funds and once they check cleared she did but 3 days later her account was overdrawn because the check came back fradulent. Now bank investigators are calling her. SHe beside herself. How can I help her?

Anonymous · ‎10-10-2007

Singlemom_gigi wrote:

I just spoke to my aunt. SHe is the sweetest women in the world and extremely naive. Seems she received a check from the International Lottery in the mail she cashed it!!! Of course they told her to send the money to release the rest of her funds and once they check cleared she did but 3 days later her account was overdrawn because the check came back fradulent. Now bank investigators are calling her. SHe beside herself. How can I help her?

I hate to hear stories like this. Its all over the news and I even saw a commercial recently about this. I am so sory she fell victim to this as this type of fraud is running rampant. What type of relationship does she have with her bank. Have her go in and speak with a bank officer (I'm sure they have heard her story more than once) and see what they can work out for her. More than likely, she will hav to return the full amount of the overdraft.

Anonymous · ‎10-10-2007

Yea I'm sure she will have to pay I just hope they will take payments because we dont have that kind of money laying around especially she her. She just went through months of chemo for breast cancer and now is going thru radiation. UGH! This sucks. I could kill these people

John060675 · ‎10-10-2007

I would also contact your local police department. I am sure they will want a report, even though I doubt they will do anything. A police report might help her with the bank. I wish her luck.

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Anonymous · ‎10-10-2007

I still boggle at people actually falling for this.

Its been in just about every newspaper, tv and internet that these are fakes. There are no real lotteries that ask for you to pay anything ever...taxes are taken out before you every get a dollar of any windfall even remotely like this.

Kevin

Anonymous · ‎10-10-2007

Gigi, I am so sorry your aunt got caught up in this scheme. I work for a large gov't agency in Washington, DC and for the past three weeks I have been returning fraudulent checks (50) back to banks of customers who actually deposited them. Fortunately, for my agency, we have several security measures in place which prevent us from ever losing money to these schemes. However, for those people who are depositing the checks, I feel for them.

I don't know if there is anything she can do other than turn over (if she still has) the letter and envelope the check came in to the investigators. Don't avoid them. She may be a little embarrased, but she is the victim in this situation, not the bank! The bank will more than likely keep her on the hook for the funds. What was the amount of the check they sent her?

Anonymous · ‎10-10-2007

File police report pronto and ask her to go to bank w/ all paperwork in the morning and ask if she can set up repayment. I think they won't allow this- but also file report w/ federal trade commission.

Anonymous · ‎10-10-2007

If she has a good relationship with her bank and she can show that it was fraud (usually the scam artists send a letter with the check stating instructions for cashing and wiring/or sending the funds back) her bank may be willing to set up a repayment plan for her to get her account out of the negative.

This is so sad when I see this happen at my bank. We have customers coming in at least once a month with a check from a fake lotto win. Luckily most of them as us about it, but the elderly are prime targets because most of them don't know any better. I feel bad for your aunt..

Anonymous · ‎10-10-2007

MeganML84 wrote:
If she has a good relationship with her bank and she can show that it was fraud (usually the scam artists send a letter with the check stating instructions for cashing and wiring/or sending the funds back) her bank may be willing to set up a repayment plan for her to get her account out of the negative.

This is so sad when I see this happen at my bank. We have customers coming in at least once a month with a check from a fake lotto win. Luckily most of them as us about it, but the elderly are prime targets because most of them don't know any better. I feel bad for your aunt..

This is so sad...not to put my TV viewing habits on display- but yes, sigh- I occasionally watch Judge Judy and just the other day she was talking about National Lotto scam-but this lady knew the check was fake and cashed it anyway...

But back to my main point- this is like the internet scam a couple years back w/ the princes stuck in foriegn countries and you needed to mail them the money and then they would mail you their riches...

so sad to see people preyed upon who don't have resources- esp. the elderly

Anonymous · ‎10-10-2007

I'd have her speak to the bank and contact her local fbi office. They have been investigating this stuff for a few years.