You want to sell your car for $10,000.00. Over the phone (or Internet) you make arrangements with a buyer and the buyer sends you a cashier’s check. When the check arrives, you see that it is for $5,000 more than the price, and the buyer asks you to wire the extra $5,000 back. A few days later, no one has come to pick up your car, and your financial institution notifies you that the cashier’s check is counterfeit. You’ve just lost $5,000.
You apply for a work-at-home job over the Internet. The company who “hires” you sends you an advance on your first “paycheck,” asking you to wire back part of the funds as part of your fee. You find out that the check is counterfeit and the company is non-existent.
You receive an email, fax, or letter from someone claiming to be an “official” of a foreign government, asking you to help them move money from their country to the U.S. All you have to do is supply your account number for deposit, etc. In exchange, you will be allowed to keep part of the millions of dollars being deposited into your account. You respond to the request, and instead of receiving money, you find out the crook has taken your money…OR you actually wire money (as a participation fee) to the crook.
