Online Scams 101
Anyone ever sent you a check or money order that seems legit? I mean a check for almost 2,000 dollars? Well, make sure you aren’t getting scammed! Most of these checks are sent by priority mail, and the “check” writer might email you ask you to withdraw what you are supposed to be getting paid and to wire the rest of the money to someone else or to them for a seemingly logical reason. However, they may begin to push you to send the money by a deadline or constantly call and check in to make sure you are sending the money. It seems okay because it is their money after all, right? And you don’t want to seem like you can’t be trusted; this person may be a potential referral for a future job.
Here’s the thing. Your bank may cash the check and your balance will look to have the amount of money from the check. As you wire the money, everything will seem fine. The other person is getting their rightful money, and you have gotten paid for your work/upcoming work. But then, a few days later, the bank says the check didn’t go through during the processing of the check, so now you are left with a negative balance from the money you have wired to someone, and maybe even in some debt. Lesson: IF ANY POTENTIAL EMPLOYER ASKS YOU TO WIRE THEM MONEY FROM A CHECK, SEND THE CHECK BACK IMMEDIATELY—OR AT THE VERY LEAST, DO NOT CASH IT.
- Rule Number 1: Do not wire money to anyone from a check.
Someone may send you a check to pay you but then ask you to send part of that check back for whatever reason. Maybe because he/she wants you to send that money to a “baby-sitter” because he/she is out of town and will have someone take care of the kid you’ll be tutoring. Don’t fall for this madness. Just like the person sent a check to you, he/she could have sent a check to his/her caregiver. Either send the check back and deny the job, or keep the check (for legal purposes) and block an individual’s number, e-mail, etc. At some point, you may even want to change your number and call the cops if you start to receive harassment.
- Rule Number 2: If you get a check or money order that really seems legit, wait a month after cashing it to make sure that the check will actually be processed before wiring any money. This way your financial status won’t end up in the negatives because, even though you’d hope people would be a bit more decent, a scammer doesn’t care that you are a college student trying to live right.
- Rule Number 3: If you have already gotten scammed there is not much you can do but a few things.
Call the cops and give them all of your and the other’s person information that you have. Ask for a court case if necessary.
Learn your lesson, and share your experience with others so that they won’t fall into the same trap. You may need to take out a loan to pay the money back to the bank (depending on how much money you have lost), or you can make a payment plan with the bank that you thought you cashed the check with to start paying off the debt.
*Editor’s Note: Firstly, I hope that it’s not too late by the time you find this article or another information source. I had a close encounter with an online scam last semester and would like to add some suggestions. Calling Campus Police was very helpful, and they helped me file a detective’s case. I would also recommend that you just keep the physical copy of the check for a month, save a digitial copy (scan or take a picture), and then shred it up into the trash bin, rather than sending the check back. Being too naive and trusting, my suspicions only began when I noticed the discrepency between the names and addresses on the check, emails, and envelopes. Cases like these happen frequently, so it’s really important to know how to assess the situation, and, equally important, your next steps to ensure your personal safety and that of your bank account.