This check is fake. But you wouldn't know it by touching it or by looking at it.
It LOOKS real. Right at the top, it says “security features on paper.”
There's the company name, the bank name and address.
And see this number at the bottom? It matches the check number. All real checks include the check number at the bottom (although this isn’t in the right spot!)
A bank would probably cash this check and they might not find out it was fake for days. And then, you’ll be on the hook for the money if you spent it!
KHOU talked to Abigail Gamble. She’s part of the new target for scammers. She’s a college student looking for work. She applied for a home bookkeeping job at a legitimate employment site, got the job and then...
"They sent me this check for $2,300 to buy a computer and all the stuff I would need."
Only when her ATM rejected the deposit did she realize she was about to be scammed.
The Better Business Bureau now calls this an epidemic in 2018: scammers sending fake checks, and asking you to send a portion of it back to them. You lose hundreds of dollars when it bounces a week later.
It's not just work at home checks-- there's all kinds of fake check scams. So to help you, here's the bottom line:
It's always a scam when...
The check is just a partial payment --- you have to send them money to get the rest.
If the job or prize or grant requires you to wire money via western union.
If the name on the check and the name of the company sending it are different.
It’s ALWAYS a scam when you get a check for more than what you’re asking.