New take on an old scam?

[kidr]

There's another old saying that goes, " You can't cheat an honest man ".

 

[CurlyDave]

Finally he took the check to his local credit union (instead of going 1/2 mile down the road, to a branch of the bank which issued the check.)

If he had taken the letter as well as the check to the bank branch they would have gotten law enforcement involved, and the scammers would be on the run.

 

[Z RENCH]

Call me simple but I do0't understand a couple things. 1st of all, how was your friend's son out of any money if he cashed the check and has/had the money(3500$). 2nd who was the scammer? Was it the bank in which the check was issued? Was it a 3rd party? And 3rdly what did the scammer gain by doing it?

 

[Big Bri]

Call me simple but I do0't understand a couple things. 1st of all, how was your friend's son out of any money if he cashed the check and has/had the money(3500$). 2nd who was the scammer? Was it the bank in which the check was issued? Was it a 3rd party? And 3rdly what did the scammer gain by doing it?

i think the way it works is you cash the $3500 check. you keep lets say $500 and send them back $3000. a week later when the bank finds out it was a bogus check they pull the $3500 back out of your checking account as NSF.

on another note i hope i'm never so dumb or gullible to fall for one of these but i think it would have been fun to send a pinnie to them with a note that you were keeping the rest as a fee. (but not cash the check)

sorry to here about the loss.

 

[jinman]

I'm reminded of a cartoon I used to have hanging in my office. It had a guy standing in front of a vending machine with a sign reading, "Knowledge - 25 cents." The next frame he drops in a quarter. . .nothing happens. The final frame he is walking away saying, "I feel smarter already."

 

[tallyho8]

Also, the scammers never give you their address to mail them the money. They have you wire the money by Western Union. That way they can pick it up anywhere in the world even if they tell you they are right in the next town.

 

[Willl]

I'd tell your son to start looking for some smarter friends.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

There's another old saying that goes, " You can't cheat an honest man ".

I hadn't heard that old saying before, but those are the exact words I've been looking for. It seems like anyone who falls for any of these scams is acting on a false promise that they'll get more than they actually deserve.

 

[dave1949]

Part of this could be driven by greed, I agree. However, there are an amazing number of young folks who are totally uneducated about financial matters. Sometimes it's their ignorance that gets them into trouble.

IMHO parents should try to include their kids in family financial discussions as soon as they are old enough to understand it and keep a confidence. Then money and finance won't be such a mystery later on.
Dave.

 

[coffeeman]

This is greedy stupid.

On the other hand.....Good point!!

Coffeeman