Been sent an anonymous check

[rwc0920]

Hey,

So I've been sent a check from some person I don't know. It got sent to me through UPS the other day and opened it up and there it was, a 2000 dollar check. The check seems to have been gotten from Bank of America because there's the Bank of America name and address of the bank printed on the check. Check has been signed with a pen and the person's name is on there as well as their address. I know it's probably too goo to be true cause who the hell in their right mind sends out 2k to some random person. But this is my question, anybody know what happens in case it is a scam if I do deposit it? which I won't. What if the check clears after a few days and I withdrawal the money and the banks ends up finding out the check was a fake somehow? I'm just curious.

Thanks

[naked-daytrader]

Take it to a check cashing place?

[noxin]

+1 to a checking cashing place. You don't want them to get your bank account number when you cash the check.

[Hauptman]

If you deposit it and it bounces you could get a fee. If check is fraudulent and you try to deposit it and bank notices you could have your account flagged and possibly cards shut down/account locked. You deposit it, withdraw funds, and then account owner has check researched you may be responsible for repayment.

Long story short, don't deposit it into your account.

[teamcubco]

Just go to a Bank America and cash it with your ID...If it's good they will cash it if not they will not. It's that easy. Plus if you cash it no record as income

[Manny]

It was me, sorry. Send it back with interest please.

[Woodsy]

Originally Posted by teamcubco

Just go to a Bank America and cash it with your ID...If it's good they will cash it if not they will not. It's that easy. Plus if you cash it no record as income

that is the way to go.

[SV650N]

If you suspect it is a bad check and you cash it anyway, you may be pursued for fraud. Passing a bad check is a crime. If you deposit it in your account and withdraw the money, and it's bad, then you WILL be held responsible for the funds that were taken out. They will clear a check before they can fully verify if it is good or not, and hold you solely responsible if it is in fact bad.

It may also be a check with real #'s, but forged. It might be even worse cashing that kind of check than an outright bad one, but I am not familiar with the laws.

[noodles44]

I am very glad to be able and take these time to thank you sir for you help in this matters. Sir I will request please sir that you have one of you agent cash as soon as your nearest convince this way we may move on with the transactions. You may keep $200 as a signs of our great debt to you sir and our commitment to your cause. Please then it is important that you agent complete the western union transfer of $1800 back to untraceable account.
Bless you sir and may you God be with you always!

[Jaynnus]

Was there a return address on the package that you can trace? I would be more interested to find out who sent it.

[BigShel]

Think real hard, who would send you 2K for nothing. Here is the next thing thats going to happen. You are going to get another letter telling you cash it and send them 1500 to cover the taxes on the other money you will be getting for the lottery game you never played.

Dont you watch Dateline. Smartin up.

[dhuze]

I would find out who sent it and why. Like BigShel said. Why would some stranger just send you a check for $2,000? If you cash the check and take the money out and it's a bad check you will still have to pay the money back. Checks will clear in a couple days, but it can take a couple weeks find out if it is fraudulant. I would bring it to Bank of America and give it to them. I'm sure they would be interested in it if it is a fake.

[DucDave]

If it was sent to you by mistake, it would be unethical to cash it. If you don't know who sent it to you, it was probably sent to you by mistake. If there is a return address I would send it back. If not, I would destroy it.

Taking money not intended for you is stealing...

bad karma either way

[richw]

If a bank cashes it and it doesn't clear they come back to you

If they cash it its because you are backing the cash transaction

I wonder if they get the image back of the cleared check do they get your account number and signature ??

[mycirus]

Its a scam, once they get the check back they have all your account info to drain your account.

[newgixxerchic]

yep. typically your bank will be able to recognize a fake check... but the people who make them are getting better... If you cash it at your bank and they don't realize its a fake until it gets returned to them, they file a Suspicious Activity Report on the incident... Best way to tell if it is a fake is like people said take it to the original bank and they can check right away... Plus, you really should turn it in, not just throw it away, every one that makes it into a bank's hand is one more they can recognize easier in the future...

[virtualbong]

I got an email from some dude in Africa who wants my beat up R6 for 10 millllllllion dollars. I think I am going to sell it to him, but he needs my bank info...should I give it to him?

This is how silly I feel your situation is. It's so obvious, you'd be a sucker to do anything with it. Just rip the check up.

[brendanp]

It has to be a scam. But dont deposit in your own acct. Go to BOA and have them look at it. Keep us posted, this should be interesting....

[kb1]

I agree on taking it to a Bank of America location and explaining the situation to them, you don't want to be involved in a fraud, especially in this day and age.

[stoinkythepig]

It might be a real check from someone who stole it and is simply getting revenge on the person who owns the account.

[virtualbong]

Why are you guys giving him advice to bring it to Bank of America to have them "check it out". He should not get himself involved whatsoever...if it isn't a real check, they are going to wonder why he has it and then the authorities may get involved. Who knows what would happened after that...he may be put on some "list" for future reference. I would be paranoid about it...and all for nothing.

[2v2Ducati]

I wouldn't cash it but if your curious you can call bank america just for kicks and give them all the info off the check, on a week day before say noon and they can tell you if its real and such.
I had a guy from the UK try and scam me on a guitar sale (similar to the Nigerian scam) but when his check came from Africa i called the bank and faxed them a copy of the check, they said the check was real but all the info was false, those guys tend to use minor local banks though (mine was out of jersey) and checks purposely show up late friday so the bank won't be able to check until the following monday.

[scorp7]

It reminds me of when I was selling my Maxima. I got an offer from someone who was representing someone... yeah. They sent me a check for $22,000 as they said was issued by their insurance. So they wanted me to keep my portion (15K) and send them the remainder. I went to Bank of America and they scanned it through some machine they had and they were ready to cash it. Before I sent back the difference, I thought to check it out online. Man was I glad I did!

[rbrais]

Have you ever placed a claim against someone, like in small claims court? Those things stay on a person's finacial record and you can't get a loan until it is paid up. My boss got a check for $300 one day, 10 years after the court case because the guy was trying to buy a house.

[rwc0920]

Theres a return address, but the street name isn't clear, just some chicken scratch. It's from naperville Illinois, 60540. Anybody close to this area? I wouldn't go to a BOA because I have an account that and I'm sure they would be to happy. Maybe I'll give them a call. Still haven't received an email or anything from the person who sent it. I'm probably positive that the check is a fake because the name on the check doesn't match the name on the return address. And the person's address on the check lives in South Carolina. I think im going to call the BOA in SC because thats where this check apparently came from and see if this person exists.