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Brooklyn, NY - Alert: Be Vigilant About Fraudulent Solictations Offering |
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Copy of check
“Unfortunately, in this economy, many people are feeling the crushing despair of debt,” Hikind noted. “These scams offer a welcome respite from that, causing otherwise reasonable people to buy into offers they know are really too good to be true. New Yorkers have to be better protected from these kinds of deceptive practices.”
The latest scam to come to the Assemblyman’s attention is particularly egregious because the solicitation contains a check in the amount of $2,987.75 (pictured above) which is drawn on a Park Avenue Bank account. The check appears to be perfectly authentic, right down to its security watermark on the reverse side.
All that is required is for the unsuspecting victim to deposit the check into their personal account, and then act as a “customer service evaluator” or a “mystery shopper” at any Western Union location to “evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of the payment system you choose to visit.” Participants must then wire $2367.00 to their “training agent” via Western Union. For each mystery shopping task completed, a payment of a few hundred dollars is promised, along with assurances of future assignments and higher salaries. In reality, once the scammer’s check is deposited into a victim’s bank account, the victim’s funds are stolen within a matter of days. Hikind contacted Park Avenue Bank and was told that while the account is real, a hold has been placed on it until further notice.
“Ultimately, consumer protection is about vigilance,” said Hikind. “People need to do their research before accepting any sort of unsolicited offer, and they should avail themselves of the wealth of resources available in order to make an educated decision.”
For more information or to file a complaint, Hikind urges consumers to contact the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs by dialing 311 or the Office of the New York State Attorney General Consumer Helpline at: 1-800-771-7755.
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Read Comments (14) — Post Yours »
1
Jul 02, 2009 at 10:18 AM Anonymous Says:
Any offer that is too good to be true - is. I know many people who received such offers, by mail or by phone. Many are skeptical, and they go as far as verifying that the bank account exists. Some are even legitimate companies whose account numbers have been hijacked, and checks printed with real numbers by bonafide check printers. Meanwhile, the check is for monies that do not belong to the ones who send it, and they get back money from unsuspecting people who "verified the offer". These scams are not new, just more common, with scammers sometimes looking for easy money to handle their own debts, and victims being the ones that establish new debt by being ripped off. Beware of all these offers.
2
Jul 02, 2009 at 10:25 AM Anonymous Says:
Caveat Emptor! If it's too good to be true, it usually is. And all other cliches that are applicable.
In other words...people, don't be fooled!
3
Jul 02, 2009 at 10:01 AM Anonymous Says:
I don't get how anyone in today's day and age falls for such a scam unless they are elderly. If something sounds too good to be true, it is. Why are we so greedy and then quick to blame the electronic store, the Madoffs, the scam. Look in the mirror. And don't forget to use your brain!
4
Jul 02, 2009 at 10:59 AM Anonymous Says:
Whenever someone offers you a proposition request the following information
Business location / address , phone #, state of incorporation, and EIN # them you could check if it is a legit business,
5
Jul 02, 2009 at 10:57 AM A Says:
“ I don't get how anyone in today's day and age falls for such a scam unless they are elderly. If something sounds too good to be true, it is. Why are we so greedy and then quick to blame the electronic store, the Madoffs, the scam. Look in the mirror. And don't forget to use your brain! ”
I don't get why some of the elderly fall for this either, they have more life experience than the rest of us.
6
Jul 02, 2009 at 11:38 AM Anonymous Says:
If you deposit one of these checks and it shows up in your account the next day, do not assume that it is therefore valid. Banks will yank it out of your account as soon as they figure out it is fraudulent. If you already assumed it was ok (since you saw it in your account) and wired the money, you will be out luck. Also, if you do have to wire, best to do it through your bank because they have a lot of protections set up. As a general rule, NEVER wire money to anyone you don't personally know.
7
Jul 02, 2009 at 12:15 PM Anonymous Says:
One of my bank managers told me last year before the Madoff scandal, that you have to check out the banks!! He gave me a website at the time. You can probably get it from the state banking commission, it tells you how mny stars the bank you are interested in depositing has.. Four is fair. Five is good!! Take a good look at your banks!!
8
Jul 02, 2009 at 02:33 PM A Says:
Every day I get emails from the FDIC sending out alerts about counterfeit checks bearing the names of different banks that are being circulated.
Unless you know the person and/or company sending you a check, and are expecting that check, I suggest you don't deposit it into your account.
9
Jul 02, 2009 at 04:29 PM INHERITOR Says:
I get frequent Emails telling me that I can claim the estates of men who along with all their relatives died in a plane crash in Africa or money that I can keep if I help get it out of some third world country. They do need my bank information to process the claims. I assume that if there weren't people that fall for this, the Emails wouldn't keep coming. Greed distorts some people's thinking.
10
Jul 02, 2009 at 06:01 PM boroparkyenta Says:
A few of my relatives do not have computers. They actually receive these offers by mail, and they call me to find out if they are legit. Of course, they are being asked for bank account numbers so they get suspicious. But really they are sure that the millions will be on their way to them. I tell them that if someone wanted to send them millions they already have their address. What is stopping them? And the same letter they got went out to thousands of others, hoping for a few gullible ones. I need to spend a few hours of my time every few weeks explaining that there is no such thing! A new scam is born every minute, and greedy people will fall for it, losing their money , and sometimes even their lives.
11
Jul 02, 2009 at 06:15 PM Just wondering Says:
“ I get frequent Emails telling me that I can claim the estates of men who along with all their relatives died in a plane crash in Africa or money that I can keep if I help get it out of some third world country. They do need my bank information to process the claims. I assume that if there weren't people that fall for this, the Emails wouldn't keep coming. Greed distorts some people's thinking. ”
I am just wondering if you deposit the check in your acount when your balance is near zero, the check clears and you take out the money thtu your debit card within that day then the guy can probably only pursue your ham sandwich at most. If it would work i would close the account right afterwards. I personally was a victim of identity theft simple as that. 1 day I get a call from me bank's fraud protection unit that I should call because of certian suspicious transactions. I called and was shocked to hear that my credit card was swiped in CHINA out of all countries. I went down to the bank, filed a police report etc.. At the bank they told me that most probably a small camera was installed by an atm machine to capture the information and they just copied it and swiped it. Who knows ? Bottom line: you gotta be very careful
12
Jul 02, 2009 at 09:35 PM Anonymous Says:
“ I don't get why some of the elderly fall for this either, they have more life experience than the rest of us. ”
because some of the elderly go senile, so its not so poshut to them.
13
Jul 03, 2009 at 11:05 AM A Says:
“ because some of the elderly go senile, so its not so poshut to them. ”
I wasn't talking about seniors that are senile, that of course makes sense. I was talking about seniors that have their wits about them but still respond to this type of scam. I expect someone who has no worldly experience could be taken in by what appears to be an easy way to make money but I don't expect the same from someone who has lived 70 years on this planet (and doesn't suffer from senility) and has most certainly come across all types of frauds. Didn't they learn from experience?
14
Jul 04, 2009 at 08:53 PM Anonymous Says:
Well, I wish that I would have read this and done research... I was scammed.. but this was crazy.. I was sent the money orders, and took them to "albertsons" b/c thats where they came from in NY, yet I live in TX.. I was arrested and am being charged w/ forgery of financial institue. I believe all mystery shopping is is a ripoff and gets ppl into nothing but trouble.. All I did was take the money orders into the store to find out if they were legitimate.. and was freaking arrested..