Scam.. or not? I got a real check for $5000

[Geoff St. Germaine]

Yea, I've been trying to work out in my head how they get their bit. I bet there's some goofy stuff, but I think they're trying to use the check to get the info on the account to which the check went, then take that money and any other money that's there. The check was never THEIR money in the first place, so the least they make is the amount of the check.

By the time the bank realizes what's going on, money's gone and the scamee is left to deal with the consequences.

I don't even know how THAT would work, but it's the only thing that makes sense.

In that case the check would have to be legit in that it would have to be for a real account with at least $5K in it. Otherwise the bank isn't going to send the check back to the sender. NSF checks get returned to the depositor. Fraudulent checks probably are either kept by the bank for investigation or handed over to some sort of law enforcement.

What could happen is that the sender could contact JohnathanD soon asking for the money back based on a mistake. He might try to get it in between depositing it and the bank discovering the check is no good. That's the only thing I can think of as far as the sender getting the $5K. Heck, being a nice guy he might even ask for less than $5K back, you know, for his trouble .

 

[RWP]

....What could happen is that the sender could contact JohnathanD soon asking for the money back based on a mistake. He might try to get it in between depositing it and the bank discovering the check is no good. That's the only thing I can think of as far as the sender getting the $5K. Heck, being a nice guy he might even ask for less than $5K back, you know, for his trouble .

Possible but the timing on that to critical. I wish we knew exactly what was in the envelope. The OP says he does not know who sent it? Well, who's name is on it? Even stranger FedX from Vietnam?

 

[JonathanD]

I told them exactly what I knew about the check, asked them to varify it, they said it was legit, I cashed it and told them I was going to wait. They said there would be no fee to me if it was a fraud unless I pulled money out of the bank.

Shrug, cant hurt. The sender doesn't haev my address(sent it to my work), phone number or correct first name. I am not too worried.
However I do work in a place where I see 100-1000 foriegn people a week and maybe one is being nice to me. Doubt it though. This fits with them sending me money but not knowing my first name exactly(my last name is pretty easy).
Jonathan

Your kidding me.. dude your so screwed, do you know its highly illegal to cash fraudulent checks.. You are now just as bad as the scammers who were after you in the eyes of authorities. You are basically part of the scam. Chase bank now has the oppurtunity if something goes bad getting you for fraud.

Good luck, im def subscribed to this one..

 

[JonathanD]

Please post this law. I assume it says "cashed a check" and not "deposits a check recieving no money"

Just my hunch.

I looked up the law in Indiana:

In Indiana, the bank can sue you for the amount of the check, plus $500, plus its lawyers' fees, plus 18%.

I'm not gonna do the math, but it seems to me that that could add up to quite a hefty sum...

 

[JonathanD]

Get the check back and sell it on Ebay!

I'll sell you my soul for $46.50 + tax*
Jonathan

 

[RWP]

If you were completely up front with the bank it sounds like you are in the clear from that stand point. The fact that it came FedX sure doesn't seem like a scam. Costs too much. Good luck!

 

[JonathanD]

Could this be one of those checks where it's actually a loan or line of credit? By cashing the check you agree to repay that amount plus interest. Is there fine print anywhere on it. Did it come with any other documentation?

Joe

Nope. No documentation was with it. Just a check in an envelope, in a fedex envelope.

Jonathan

 

[JansenW]

I told them exactly what I knew about the check, asked them to varify it, they said it was legit, I cashed it and told them I was going to wait. They said there would be no fee to me if it was a fraud unless I pulled money out of the bank.

Shrug, cant hurt. The sender doesn't haev my address(sent it to my work), phone number or correct first name. I am not too worried.
However I do work in a place where I see 100-1000 foriegn people a week and maybe one is being nice to me. Doubt it though. This fits with them sending me money but not knowing my first name exactly(my last name is pretty easy).
Jonathan

Make sure this check wasn't supposed to be made out to your company (since it was sent to your work place). Does your company have customers in Vietnam? You don't want to be biting the hand that feeds you.

 

[JonathanD]

Possible but the timing on that to critical. I wish we knew exactly what was in the envelope. The OP says he does not know who sent it? Well, who's name is on it? Even stranger FedX from Vietnam?

Alright... R U READY TO RUMBLE!!!

Paul Boison
206 Johnstone Street.
Lafayette LA 70501

I had the tracking number up, but I dont want to give my work address out on the net safty first.
Jonathan

 

[JonathanD]

BTW, its not exactly a check.
Its something banks send to one another.
So there is no routing number. I have to use it through Chase bank, and they say it is exactly how they would send money from US currency to another currency.

Jonathan

 

[JonathanD]

Make sure this check wasn't supposed to be made out to your company (since it was sent to your work place). Does your company have customers in Vietnam? You don't want to be biting the hand that feeds you.

They opened it first, looked at it, and called me telling me to come pick it up.
They dont hand feed me though, thats kinda sick. They may not wash after wiping.
Jonathan

 

[soulgeezer]

Please post this law. I assume it says "cashed a check" and not "deposits a check recieving no money"

Just my hunch.

Here's where you seem to be unclear on what happened:

When you deposited the check, the money was deposited into *your* account. Therefore, you received the money, whether you actually took it in-hand or not.

And, the fact that you gave a false first name, fake phone number, and address other than your residence means that *you* have now committed fraud.

Here's what I see happening:

The entity that sent the check contacts you to claim it was a mistake and to request that you send the check back. You tell them that you don't have the check, because you've already deposited it in the bank. They answer that they will take legal action if the check is not returned.

In the meantime, the bank finds out that the check is a fake. They start to check up on you. Unless you gave them a fake social security number, they'll have all the info they need to send the cops and/or lawyers out to round you up.

So, now you're in dutch with the scammer, the bank, and the authorities.

Like I said -- Screwed. No two ways about it.

But, please -- Post from your jail cell to let us know how things turned out!

(I'm kidding about the jail thing -- I don't think you'll see any time in stir. But, the rest of it is very, very likely to come to pass.)

 

[Son of Magni]

Well, there's a lot of pure speculation going on here, so I'll throw in some more. If it is a scam of some sort, I bet the account the check is drawn on is owned by another victim of the scam. One guy loses money, another might get in trouble, but someone else takes the money and runs.

 

[JonathanD]

And, the fact that you gave a false first name, fake phone number, and address other than your residence means that *you* have now committed fraud.

(I'm kidding about the jail thing -- I don't think you'll see any time in stir. But, the rest of it is very, very likely to come to pass.)

\

I didn't give the bank any false Info... but the sender didn't have it on the check. maybe they didn't put it there on purpose. But I would never lie...to a bank.
Jonathan

 

[JonathanD]

Well guys, I am going to sleep. Tomorrow I am going to forget about this (although I will keep an eye on my Credit report for activity) and we will see what happens in 1 month.
Jonathan

 

[soulgeezer]

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you...

206 Johnston St, Lafayette, LA (There is no "Johnstone" St in Lafayette.)

That's right -- It's under a highway overpass!

And, there is no "Paul Boison" listed anywhere in Louisiana. The only one in the US lives in Connecticut.

What do the great detective minds of TB make of this?????

 

[lbanks]

I'll sell you my soul for $46.50 + tax*
Jonathan

You'll pay shipping? (I've a contact in Sweden...)

 

[Ray Holt]

Damn Soulgeezer, fine work

Sounds so, so shady. I wouldn't have even thought of depositing it. I would have turned it over to the authorities.


And by the way...

Do most of the people in the USA "earn" their money compaired to people that work 10X as hard and make 1/100th as much?

Yes, I earn my money.

 

[christobass 416]

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you...

206 Johnston St, Lafayette, LA (There is no "Johnstone" St in Lafayette.)

That's right -- It's under a highway overpass!

And, there is no "Paul Boison" listed anywhere in Louisiana. The only one in the US lives in Connecticut.

What do the great detective minds of TB make of this?????

Well, in all fairness, lots of pictures on google earth are rather old (and the addresses can be a bit off). The picture of my house is probably around 6-7 years old. I can tell by the cars in the driveway. My brother had his Cadillac parked in my driveway for a few months around that time.

 

[Sonic_Death]

Well, in all fairness, lots of pictures on google earth are rather old (and the addresses can be a bit off). The picture of my house is probably around 6-7 years old. I can tell by the cars in the driveway. My brother had his Cadillac parked in my driveway for a few months around that time.

I can attest to that... according to Google Earth, my house is about 5 houses or so over from my actual house

The picture is also maybe 3 years old or so. Either way, along with the whole suspicious vibe of this thing, it seems like there never was a house there anyway.