Of late more and more people are becoming victims of fake check scams. One such example includes fake buyers offering premium pricing for goods advertised online. Once the deal is done, they will send you a check wherein the amount would be higher than the price offered. The standard request is that the extra amount needs to be wired to a handling or a shipping agent. When the seller receives the check that would normally look genuine, he would pass it to bank teller and wire the extra amount back. Later on, the seller would discover that the check was bounced back and that he would have to repay the money which he withdrew against the fake check. iYogi scam alert series cautions users against such scams and offer preventive measures. Read More...

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Mathew Ray , lax

30June, 2011

They tried to scam me

You have won $10,000 in our online lucky draw, announced the letter I received in my mail, also along with it was a check worth $10,000. Please wire back $1500 toward processing charges and agent commissions read the later part of the letter. I did a Google search on the company name & the address given, nothing came out ........ the company had vanished!! I was aware that such frauds happened and didn't get scammed, but there might be others out there who may fall prey to such scams..stay alert guys!!

Rocco Zane, UK

30June, 2011

I've a suggestion for the people who are selling their items online. If you're selling something, don't accept a check for more than the selling price, no matter how tempting the offer or how convincing the story. Ask the buyer to write the check for the correct amount. If the buyer refuses to send the correct amount, return the check. Don't send the merchandise. If the buyer insists that you wire back funds, end the transaction immediately. Legitimate buyers don't pressure you to send money by wire transfer services. So, don't fall for it!!!

David Alex, Portland

20 May, 2011

There's no such thing as a free lunch

Yipee!! I was all excited when I got a buyer for my old laptop on the Internet!! He was ready to buy it at a higher price and for some strange reason had sent me a check wherein the amount was higher. I was supposed to wire the remaining amount to his company to the a/c number that he had given to me.. I had heard of such scams and waited for the check to clear, as expcted the cheque bounced!! Guess there're no free lunches in this world...

David Johnson, Liverpool

11 May, 2011

Hi Gregory, sorry to hear about your loss. I think you didn't think twice before sending your money. You were interested only in selling your stuff; that attitude cost us dearly, and I know you understand it now. Be safe from these fraudsters in the future!

Billy Cook, Riverside

25 April, 2011

Hi Eddie, ya, it is always a good idea to show the cheque to the teller and check whether it's a fake! They can pretty much tell. And as for wiring back the money, only idiots would wire back money before the cheque clears. If the cheque is authentic, there is a chance that you can trace the account and the person using it.

Eddie Watson, North Dakota

18 April, 2011

Almost scammed..

I was almost scammed last weekend. I was selling some stuff online and I got a reply from a potential customer regarding the sale. He contacted me over the phone, agreed with the price, and sent me a check wherein the amount was more than required. He asked me to wire back the surplus money as it was some kind of mistake. Luckily, I presented the check to a bank teller and he informed me that it was fake and that such scams had become very common. I thank my lucky stars that I didn't send him any money!

Gregory Collin, Cleveland

11 April, 2011

I was selling my old stuff over the Internet and this guy wanted to buy it all. I was very keen on getting rid of my things and having just one buyer lightened my burden considerably. He even sent me a check wherein the amount was more than required and called me up to wire back the surplus money as he said that he had heard the wrong amount over the phone. I sent him the extra money and I have never heard from him again!! I lost my money and as it turned out the check was fake! There is no way to track this scammer and I'm back to square one!