This is a common scam, but it’s not the only one out there, and you can just as easily be scammed if the check is for the correct amount. Even if the check you receive is a “cashier’s check” issued by a bank, you could be scammed.
That’s because a check needs to clear two banks before you can be certain you’re going to keep the money - your bank and the issuing bank. Your bank may say it cleared (or give you funds availability, or whatever), and then you ship the guitar, but the issuing bank ultimately gets the check back and says it’s fake. They don’t pay the funds to your bank, your bank reverses the credit to your account, and you get no money.
If you’re going to accept a check for a large amount, call your bank and make sure it has cleared the issuing bank before shipping anything out.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rockguy475
This is a classic check scam.
Here is how it would play out.
They send you a check (which would be fake or a real check with photoshopped info).
The check they send will be MORE then your asking price.
They will ask you to send them the difference of what they sent you back to them, most of the time through Zelle or a similar platform. For example if your asking price was $1,000 they might write you a check for $1,300 and ask you to send them $300 back through Zelle.
The person who falls for the scam would send the money to them and obviously the check they received would NOT clear.
Sad thing is people fall for this stuff, most of the time older people. I used to work for a bank and had to deal with issues like this more then I'd like to admit.
|