Potential mystery shoppers are told to use some of the money to “evaluate” a retailer by buying gift cards or money orders, or by wiring money through MoneyGram or Western Union. The ploys to get you to send back some of the money also vary.
The checks come in many varieties: a business or personal check, a cashier’s check, money order, or even a check delivered electronically. In another 18% of the reports, people said they got a fake check as payment for something they were selling online.įake check scams have two telltale elements – a check to deposit and a plausible explanation for why you can’t keep all the money. 2 Nearly half of those were fake mystery shopping jobs, and many others were phony car- wrap advertising opportunities. Last year, about 50% of people who reported a fake check scam to the FTC said they were offered a job or some other way to earn money. Scammers have various fake check storylines, and job and income opportunities top the list. 1 And the data suggest that fake check scams disproportionately harm young adults – especially people in their twenties. The FTC’s Consumer Sentinel Network database shows that people reported more than 27,000 fake check scams in 2019, with reported losses topping $28 million dollars. Scammers do know, and they trick people into sending them money before the bank spots the fake. About the FTC Show/hide About the FTC menu itemsįake check scams take advantage of what we don’t know about how banks handle check deposits.News and Events Show/hide News and Events menu items.Advice and Guidance Show/hide Advice and Guidance menu items.Competition and Consumer Protection Guidance Documents.Enforcement Show/hide Enforcement menu items.
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