Fraud Alert
If you can answer “yes” to any of the following questions, you could be involved in a fraud or about to be scammed!
- Is the check from an item you sold on the internet, such as a car, boat, jewelry, etc.?
- Is the amount of the check more than the item’s selling price?
- Did you receive the check via an overnight delivery service?
- Is the check connected to communicating with someone by email?
- Is the check drawn on a business or individual account that is different from the person buying your item or product?
- Have you been informed that you were the winner of a lottery, such as Canadian, Australian, El Gordo, or El Mundo, that you did not enter?
- Have you been instructed to either “wire”, “send”, or “ship” money, as soon as possible, to a large U.S. city or to another country,such as Canada, England, or Nigeria?
- Have you been asked to pay money to receive a deposit from another country such as Canada, England or Nigeria?
- Are you receiving pay or a commission for facilitation money transfers through your account?
- Did you respond to an email requesting you to confirm, update, or provide your account information?
Other Things to Keep In Mind
The biggest thing to remember if you pick up the phone is that you can hang up the phone. There is no reason not to be rude to these people.
The government, especially the IRS, does not communicate by e-mail. Most government sites end in ” .gov “.
Do not open any e-mail where you do not know the sender – just delete the e-mail without opening it.
If you are making any purchases from internet sites, follow the rules of that site.