I get a message about once a week from different fellows saying that they are coming in from out of the country. They ask my rate for a 48 hour period and then tell me that their employer will send me a cashier's cheque for $11,500 or $15,000. I am to deduct my fee and forward the remaining to him and he will then make his visit. I realize that this is some kind of scam, but how? What can he gain by this?

...cash it.  If you're successful, you send the balance to the perp, and you keep a small fee for your trouble.  (He's not actually coming to see you.)  If you're NOT successful -- that is, if someone at the bank calls the police -- you have the stolen check and the not-awfully-convincing story that "some guy" whom you've never met nor seen asked you to do this.  What he has to gain is the balance of the face value of the check, if you're successful.  What he has to lose is nothing, because you can't identify him.  What YOU have to lose is a possible jail sentence, should a court decide you're part of a counterfeit or forgery operation.
Don't even THINK to go along with this, Heather.  

-- Modified on 11/16/2005 12:51:33 PM

-- Modified on 11/16/2005 12:53:32 PM

cooch has accurately described an increasingly common scam - you can find specific warnings about this on some websites, eg CL

You have to ask yourself, if they can send a cashier's check, why don't they just send the right amount to begin with?

thanks, I knew it had to be a scam, just didn't understand the motive. What does CL mean?

The other downside to you is the fact that it may take days or even weeks for you to discover that the check was a forgery. Good luck explaining what happened to your bank, and or the feds.

It will clear immediately.  You then take out
his remaining balance and send it to him.  A week
later, when the cashier check doesn't clear with
the issueing bank, you are out the money you
took out of your account.

It's the same as a bad personal check - except
instead of waiting 7 days for a check to clear
or bounce, the bank immediately clears the
cashier check and puts the money in your account.

be nice and reply back, just tell him you don't accept cashier's checks for donations. That way, he knows you're not stupid, you're cleverly telling LE you don't accept payment, and hopefully your emailer gets the message. I never talk donations over the Internet or telephone -- bad idea. Have him go to your website. If you don't have one, get one ASAP.

Good luck & hugs,
Ciara

Reelete these messages. It's a scam. If you want to . . .

LE will not send her a cashier's check, phony or not, because then THEY have to pay the bank.

This is about getting money - not pussy - from her, and coochme seems to know what he's talking about here.  I don't know about you, but I leave the advice in here to the lawyers and people with direct experience.  You can tell them from the way they talk.

I don't know if that's her site she linked to, but it sure looks like it.

I would guess they pick an escort hoping they would be less likely to go to the police - for obvious reasons.

extra advice that was given to me, and I don't seem to be bothered by too many because of it. The extra things I threw in were bonuses. Wink!  But I agree with you, she should definitely listen to a lawyer.

Hugs,
Ciara

the extra advice you got was wrong, because LE won't send a cashier's check.  Spreading wrong advice doesn't seem right, even if it's helpful.

So why don't the 2 of us toodle along, and leave it to the lawyers.  Wink back!!

you've got me all wet just talking law. Come on over here and I'll give you an ol' fashioned flogging (sic) -- no firing squad, no hanging -- just an ol' fashioned whipping. Wink!

Hugs,
Ciara

what-EVER!!

-- Modified on 11/20/2005 1:50:15 PM

Yeah, just helped a friend with this. She was selling her car ($20k approx) her scam went "my client is out of town, but left a check for $25k - i'll send you the cashier's check and you send a check back for $5k." Totally bogus.

I guess they only want to try to make a big score - I'm suprised I don't see more on smaller scams. For say $300-400 - it's much more believable to have say a traveler's check for $1000 or the like.

let's hang out here and see who we can fool.  There's always somebody who'll believe anything.  We can channel sikick hotlines for people with leagl questions. Wink!!

..."something must be wrong here," and they're right.  For $25K with $5K in your pocket, some otherwise sensible folks will be persuaded to take a shot.  The perps have a REALLY low rate of return on this, so they want to get as much mileage as they can out of any one person who falls for it.