CLEARWATER, Fla. — The Better Business Bureau wants people to be on alert for scammers sending fake $2,950 checks in the mail with instructions on how to verify the authentication of the check.
The BBB received reports from people who received a check in the mail. The envelope, per reports, is labeled priority mail 2-day and has a return address of 2655 McCormick Drive, Clearwater, FL 33759; the Better Business Bureau in West Florida. Inside the envelope are fake checks written from a variety of “businesses.”
While a BBB office does exist at this location, it's not sending checks to consumers. BBB warns that these are fake checks and you can lose thousands of dollars if you deposit the check or contact the scammers.
The scammers, per the BBB, are impersonating the Better Business Bureau and other legitimate brand names in order to gain your trust to open the package.
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Here are two things the BBB wants you to know about fake check fraud:
1. Having the funds credited to a bank account does not mean the cashed check is valid.
Federal banking rules require that when someone deposits a check into an account, the bank must make the funds available right away – within a day or two. But the bank also has the right to recover the money from the account holder if the check is counterfeit. It is only when the check works its way back to the bank that supposedly issued the check that it is discovered to be counterfeit.
2. Cashier’s checks and postal money orders can be forged.
A cashier’s check is a check guaranteed by a bank, drawn on the bank’s own funds and signed by a cashier. Cashier’s checks are treated as guaranteed funds because the bank itself, rather than the individual account holder, is responsible for paying the amount of the check. Cashier’s checks are commonly required for real estate and brokerage transactions. If a person deposits a cashier’s check, the person’s bank must credit the account by at least $5000 the next day. The same holds true for postal money orders.
The BBB said if you have deposited a fake check into your account you should notify your bank or the bank that appears to have issued the check immediately.
The BBB also recommends you file a complaint with any of the following places:
• The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), or call 877-FTC-Help
• The Internet Crime Complaint Center, or IC3
• The U.S. Postal Inspection Service
Victims who are seniors or other vulnerable adults may be able to obtain help through Adult Protective Services. To find a local office, click here.
