Getting Random Cheques in the Mail

Jeice

A couple weeks ago, I got this cheque in the mail from some guy I've never even heard of and there was no letter or anything explaining what the cheque was for. So, I check my email, and I got an email from the guy saying that if I wanted part of the money, I would have to deposit it in my bank and wire him the rest today. I figured this was a scam, so I didn't do anything with the cheque.

Yesterday, I got another letter from another random person I've never heard of, but this time, inside the letter was 3 separate money orders. And, this time, I got a letter saying that I should email this person once I get this letter.

So, what should I do? I'm not sure, but isn't a money order equivalent to cash so it handles differently from a check? So, should I email this guy asking what he wants, or should I just continue to ignore the letter?

Djiem

There's three things you could do, I think:

- The easiest one would be to ignore the whole thing altogether, because it reeks of scam.

- If you want to help society, you could see if there's any institution you can report this to.

- If you feel adventurous (I don't recommend it), you could contact your bank and see if there are strings attached to accepting a cheque or money order. If there aren't any, you could cash them in and ignore the scammer. EDIT: Reading the other posts, forget this third idea. They would bounce anyway, yeah. So it's a waste of time.

PirateJon

Trash it. They're not valid anyway.

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre40.shtm

Aegis

As of 2006 there has been a significant increase in counterfeit postal money orders. Often, such a counterfeit will be sent to an unwitting victim who is instructed, on some pretext, to deposit it at his/her bank and return some of the funds. The victim is more likely to trust an “official” money order than a regular check, for the reasons given above. However, because money orders are paid through the postal service rather than the usual check clearing system, they often take longer to “bounce” than an ordinary check. When this finally occurs it is charged back to the victim, who may already have sent back the funds, for which he or she must take the loss.

So yea, similar scam more than likely.

Szechuanosaurus

Also, report it to the contact details in that link PirateJon posted

If You Think You’re a Victim

If you think you’ve been targeted by a counterfeit check scam, report it to the following agencies:

* The Federal Trade Commission Visit ftc.gov or 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357). • The U.S. Postal Inspection Service Visit www.usps.gov/websites/depart/inspect or call your local post office. The number is in the Blue Pages of your local telephone directory.
* Your state or local consumer protection agencies Visit www.naag.org for a list of state Attorneys General, or check the Blue Pages of your local telephone directory for appropriate phone numbers.

Jeice

Thanks for the quick replies. I will report it. Thanks for the site PirateJon, it's really informative.

RUNN1NGMAN

This is a pretty frequent scam, they have a lot of info on it on craigslist, because people try to buy things and launder their bogus money orders.

Scooter

If I was you I'd start wondering where both my email and my home address were publicly out there.