I was not going to really get into what has happened to me but I feel that If I don't tell my story that something bad might come of it. so I will try and be as brief as I can but it is very important that the ladies and gentleman out there know what is going on.
(Cashier Check Scams)

My story,

In the begining of Dec. I recieved a phone call from a gentleman living in the U.K. He clearly was not born there he had a very thick acsent Nigerian, Possible African. I could not really tell. He wanted to know if I would be available on the 15th of Dec. for a week long appointment. Now seeing as how I have never seen this guy before, I was kind of taken a back for the lenght of time he wanted because we had never seen each other before. I kind of thought he was full of it. But I am a very nice lady and feel that I have always been so, i talked to him for a good while to find out his plans and try and arrange a meeting.He was coming to town for business and wanted me to spend time with him in morning and at night. He had meeting all day but wanted me to be there when he  got back. He gave me his full name but nothing more. so I asked him that I required him to fill out my appointment page on my site so i could have his info. He said he would do so. I did recieve an e-mail but not through my appoint. page. So again I had no info whatsoever. I then e-mailed hime back to say that since He wanted such a long time frame that I would need some more info about himself and a deposit of some sort up front.He told me that money was no object at all and he was very weathly and he owned alot of business.  He then asked me if I could arrange to get the hotel. He wanted to stay at the Venetion.  I said that I would call them to find out how much it would cost and let him know. I also said that I could only do that if he sent the money for the hotel as well. He agreed and then, I get a call from him 4 days before the appointment to say that he needed my real name I tried to tell him that i don't give out my real name. Maybe in certain circumstances after seeing a gentlman for a while. He just keep on about my real name and said why should I send money to someone I don't know. i tried to reasure him that I was a very honest lady and Have never ripped anyone off before and never would, my pride and reputation would be ruined if i did such a thing. He would not give up though.Then he wanted my real home address. i told him I have a business address to send it to and that it would get to me fine. As the conversation continues. he says that he is sending out the money just for 2 days and he would send 1/2 of the 2 days. so now we have gone from a week to 2 days. which was fine with me. I starting believing still that he is full of it and just trying to bullshit me. It has happened before to so many of us ladies. So he says he will send the money tomorrow. But that is on fri. and there is no way it could get to me by Mon. I told him that. He just said call me when it arrives. So I am checking my mail as I do about ever 2 to 3 days and nothing each time. No mail or calls from him. About 1 week later he calls and says how sorry he is he got called on business and could not send the money but will be sending it out soon. I am still very confused about the whole thing.
Sorry I am  trying to make this short but I want to get all the details so everyone will know.

 Then all through X-mas and New Years He is contacting me ever day asking if I have gotten the check. I kept telling him no it has not arrived. He said call me immediatly when it arrives. I really need to know when you recieve it. So still thinking this is just not going happen and now we don't have a date set at all for him coming to Vegas I am not even sure if he is for real.
 Then last Sat. I go to  check my mail and there is the check. Only He makes it out to My business name which I repeatedly told him put cash or leave blank. The check is from Virginia Bank of America which seemed really weird. I was still very happy that I had recieved it a very surprsed. So I deposited the cashier check into my bank oh and mind you he sent the full amount for the 2 days and that is not what I asked for, plus the fee for the hotel. I got home and e-mailed him to let him know thank you and gave him dates when I would be free and told him that I had deposited the check. My bank said that it would take at least 24 hrs. to clear.
 Exactly 2 hrs. after I e-mailed hime I recieved it he called me on a sprint typing online call very wierd. he said there was an emergency and I needed to check my mail. so i did and he said that his friend he was coming to Vegas with and his wife got into a car accident and they both died. He said He needed the cash back immediatly and he wanted me to go get half of the money and western union it to him and the other half the next day.He also gave me some really odd name to send it to.  His reason was that the corpse was sitting in the hospital and He needed to pay to have it removed and the Dr. bills needed to be payed immediatly. I found that weird because I lived in England and there are no medical bills there. And I know that you might pay for the funeral but it is not that much. I informed him that I could not send him the money because the check has not gone through yet. so then he says well can you send me your own money I know you must have money to send me.  (RED FLAG). I said no I could not do that. I knew he was lying to me.


-- Modified on 1/9/2004 11:38:45 PM

I've heard similar stories usually having to do with a high ticket item purchased through eBay...the buyer sends the seller a cashiers check much higher than the price on the auction end(claiming it was an accident) and asks to have the difference sent back to him from the sellers account...the seller is told from HIS bank the check cleared so he sends the money...a week or two later the bank finds out the cashiers check really was worthless and goes after HIM for that money

Good job avoiding getting scammed

Glad you didn't fall for this old scam.  It sounds like just ANOTHER version of the so-called "Nigerian Advance Fee" fraud that's been going on since the late 80's.  see the following link....

You allowed this to go on far too long.  This is not a possible scam - it's a DEFINITE scam.  He'll call again in all likelihood.  Tell him to sit on his finger and rotate!

IF the money shows up in your account, tell him you'll send it after you deduct the taxes (he made it out to your business) and deduct enough for all the time of yours he occupied.

This sounds like a live-action version of those Nigerian scam emails that flood my mailbox every so often.

--b

I have only taken a couple of checks over the past two years and they are from people I have seen.  Before I deposit the check I call the bank on which the check is drawn on to make sure there are enough funds to cover.  I do this because when I was 19 I took a check from someone I thought was my friend and it bounced.  At the time the amount was alot of money to me so I learned my lesson.

I posted something similar about a week or so ago.

I now get 2-3 scam emails a day.

How do we stop this?

DO NOT SEND MONEY TO NIGERIANS WHO CONTACT YOU ANON!   RED FLAG  has been for 50+ years.

Wait.  The cheque will not clear so don't bother.

Just dont have anything to do with these people. They are frauds through and through.

I read your post with shock and unfortunately belief..because I like most providers like to believe people when they tell you something..I have recently had my own kinda scam..I had a client call from LA saying he was coming to Vegas that night wanting to set up a long apt..starting at midnight..something I dont do..ever..I dont see people especially people I dont know after 10pm..I feel i am too tired and I explained I had had 3 ,2 hour apts that day and would not provide the type of service I like to...he said he would pay me a large amount..I  asked if he was only here the one night, could we not meet tommorrow, he was going to call back when his flight arrived..he kept me on the phone about 15-20 mins asking personal questions , in the guise of concern..we all know when someone is prying..he never arrived but continued to call  one conversation lasted an hour..he told me about all the influential people he knew in LA, how he could do this and that for me, someone he has never met..why help me..he told me about girls he slept with..supposedly 3 that night.. so why call me?if he has 3 beautiful millionare widows he sleeps with, why call me... he went on about  webcam stuff..saying he could film me and help me start a side bussiness to make alot..I told him I was not sure,(iam not letting someone film me under the disguise of bussiness,when in all actuality the tape would end up in his  collection)..to make a long story short,, he begged me to fly to LA for new years..to attend a sex party saying I would make 5-10 thousand for the one night..it sounds great to make that much, but I if anyone am a firm believer in "if it sounds too good"..i declined..but he kept calling,sometimes 10 times aday at all hours.if someone is that rich, and that important how I ask myself does he have time to call me so much ,I tried to check his references..I was not able to..my calls were not returned from the 2 other providers I called, we all (providers) are very used to people calling who have no intention of ever booking..the type that say" if only you had that Bentley in green ,I'd buy 20..when you say "i can get it in green" they say..oh I mean green and pink" you know tirekickers ,who have either no money or no intent of seeing you..who for whatever reason find it titillating to book and not show.. to have a phone relationship with you. I nor anyother provider I have met have the time or interest in such things...fortunately I was not as January was ,asked for $ she is obviously more savy that the Scam artist is..but alot of others are not..BTW I kept his phone info so if any girls want to put him on the DNB list they can

-- Modified on 1/10/2004 1:33:30 PM

I had posted the rest of the story but it did not go through.
 
So, I kept trying to tell him that I could not send it till It went through. He just did not get it. I then decided to contact my bank and told them briefly the story and had them put a 10 day hold on it till I knew what was going on. I did some research online and found out that if it did still go through that I was liable for the cash in the end. He continued to call but I told him that i had contacting my bank and let them know what was happening and that if he kept harrarising me that I would call the police. I even said if you have a problem with this then call the police yourself and I can tell them what is going on. I also said that He was lying to me about everything and things did not add up.His story kept changing He did not even get upset. Even if I was taking his money which I am not would'nt he be calling every day wanting his money back. But no I have not heard anything from him since Mon. this week. I feel that I am doing the right thing. I just don't want anyone to get burned by this. It is a terrible way to play on peoples sympathy which is what he was doing by saying that a friend had died. And also why would a man who is so rich and money is no object send me, someone he has never met before money , and send his last penny. Besides if He was broke how was he going to pay for being in Las Vegas for a week. It is not cheap to vacation here. Clearly Lying. Please if anyone has any advise or has had this happen to them. I would really appreciate if you could contact me about it. I am a very worried about all of this. Kind of scared. I will not know anything about weather it goes through or not till the end of next week. And then what to do if it does. I just sit on it for months. I am sure it will not go through but if I does. I am not sending it back. I am sure I will be contacted from the FBI or something eventually. So then I can just give them the money and say what happened. I doubt it will go through. What to do. I feel that I was smart in doing what I did.

Please be very careful out there.

January [email protected]

I love reading about scams.  They are much more intellectual crimes than just plain robery.  Remember "The Sting"? The nifty thing is you didn't fall for it.  You did just what they don't like, you went along for a long time and then pulled the plug.  Where you may have felt that you waisted a lot of time I would have counted it as entertainment.  

The only thing that could have happened to make this any better is if you could have gotten some front money from him and then scammed him back.  That would have been choice.  

I'm just a funny guy I guess, but this has intrigue.

being in banking the past 27 years, I've seen this scam from time to time and Nigeria is one of the places it originates from. I can assure you with certainty that the check is no good.

You did all the right things baby!!!

I know little about banking myself but having sold online for the last two years I've had some experience in some scams people have tried on me

What the guy is doing is taking advantage of an odd quirk concerning cashiers checks(possibly money orders too) in that while YOUR bank may say the check cleared in actuality it really hasn't...not to the extent of you no longer being financially responsible if something goes wrong later

Maybe someone who knows the upper limit before a cashiers check takes before releasing YOU from getting stuck for the amount but I've heard it was from 2-4 weeks even if YOUR bank tells you the cashiers check cleared before that time

I don't know why the authorities haven't closed that loophole but until they do be wary about accepting cashiers checks for anything unless you're willing to hold it for an uncommonly long time to be certain it really cleared

I just did a little research and it said the loophole is a cashiers check is supposed to allow you to have the money available within 24 hours but if the cashiers check is FAKE(something they don't find out until much later) your bank may tell you the funds are available when they really aren't

I linked to a story that is exactly what would of happened to you if you had fallen for the scam

January, you were smart and listened to your instincts.  If what this guy has tried to sell you has any truth at all, he will contact his bank or other authorities to retrieve his deposit and you will, of course, return his money.  Your reputation is still sterling within this community and we all know what a quality lady you are.  If you had fallen for this scam you would have been left holding the dirty end of the toilet brush and been responsible for the money to your own bank.  Still, I'm sure it caused some anxious moments for you but I believe that you're going about this in the best manner.  Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

A friend at work had the exact same thing happen to him when had was trying to sell his car online (as described in the linked story).  My friend deposited the cashiers check and then later withdrew almost the entire amount, but had not forwarded any of the money.  The cashier's check turned out to be stolen.  The thing that was discouraing, was that Bank of America only cared about getting their money back, and didn't seem to care about investigating how or who might have stolen the check and used them.

it would seem that if a "check" is legit - say your
dear old grandmother give you a birthday present -
then a cashier's check will give you access to the
funds (possibly) faster.

BUT, if the "check" is suspect (for whatever reason,
be it possibly overdrawn or from a dubious source),
then a regular or personal check would be safer.
The "results" of the deposit would be known and
FINALIZED much sooner.  Even large deposits are
cleared within a week.  Either it goes through
100% or it doesn't.  If it doesn't, you know and
may be charge a small bounced check fee.  If it
does, you have your money and they can't rescind
it (or at least have a much smaller chance of it
being rescinded).

fr

There also is an e-mail Nigerian scam going to clergy persons supposedly from a repentent will executor who now wants to give money to churches as the poor [but rich] deceased had wanted.

I'm not in banking but I do know that a cashier's check, a certified check, and a money order are not the same thing.  I have always been told by bankers not to use cashier's checks for anything, and this is probably why.  A certified check issued from a verifiable bank that is a member of the Federal Reserve System I suspect is almost as good as gold, as is a wire transfer from a Fed member bank, because your bank can do some verification before releasing the cash to you.

No matter how the money gets into your account, YOU are liable to your bank if the instrument used to make the deposit is fraudulant or counerfeit.  That's part of the agreement you signed when you opened the account.  This issue is who will be the victim of the crime.  If you accept a bad check and deposit it, YOU, not your bank, is the victim of the crime and you stand alone to lose the $$$.

There are always ways to avoid dealing with cashier's checks.  For instance, you can ask the sender "how much does your bank charge for wiring money?"  Assume they say "$15" which is pretty typical.  Your answer: "Great, I'll pick up the tab.  Just wire me the amount due, less the $15 fee."  And rather than give out your account number, you can even say "Great, I'll have my banker call your banker and set up the transaction so we don't have to exchange account info."  Your banker can accept the funds into a holding account without disclosing your fund details to the transmitting bank.  (I have done this several times)

American Express Travelers Checks are QUITE difficult to forge, so the sentence "send me the amount due in signed Amex Travelers Checks" changes the game completely too.

As a point of information a certified check has three tiers of accessibility(I don't know why)

I sold some property...the buyer got a loan from my bank and I moved to another town with a certified check from my bank...I deposited it into my new bank and the first week I could get $100...the second week $5000 then around the third week they allowed me to have access to the rest

Seemed stupid to me since they could of just called the bank the certified check was written on to verify it wasn't fake

This is all a variation of "The Nigerian Letter" scam and has been reported to the authorities.I had someone try to sucker me on a used truck add I posted on the web.They were going to send me a cashiers check for too much and wanted me to wire a refund. I called the postal inspectors and the internet fraud line and they both told me they had allready recieved numerous complaints.No way to stop them short of disconecting your web link.They are in a foreign country out of reach.Only option is education.

The bank will just give you the bounced check back- If you want to proceed and give it to the LE-You will be waisting your time.I personally get nigerians letters once a week-I stopped reading them two years ago.My receptionist asked me if she could have the stamps off the enevelopes-she is a collector. I can tell you are a very sweet and carring girl.

-- Modified on 1/12/2004 12:08:28 PM