{"id":1721,"date":"2011-06-14T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2011-06-14T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nclnet.org\/cfa_ncl_team_up_to_educate_public_on_avoiding_fake_check_scams\/"},"modified":"2020-07-07T10:58:50","modified_gmt":"2020-07-07T10:58:50","slug":"cfa_ncl_team_up_to_educate_public_on_avoiding_fake_check_scams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nclnet.org\/cfa_ncl_team_up_to_educate_public_on_avoiding_fake_check_scams\/","title":{"rendered":"CFA, NCL team up to educate public on avoiding fake check scams – National Consumers League"},"content":{"rendered":"

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June 14, 2011<\/p>\n

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Contact: NCL Communications (202) 835-3323, media@nclnet.org<\/p>\n

Washington, DC \u2013 Fake check scams, in which consumers are lured into accepting genuine-looking phony checks or money orders and sending cash somewhere in return, come in many forms, but experts at Consumer Federation of America (CFA) and the National Consumers League (NCL) say that it\u2019s easy to spot and avoid these scams \u2013 if you know what to look for. New tips, Five Things You Should Know to Avoid Fake Check Scams, have been released by the nonprofit consumer organizations today to help consumers identify the scam in its various forms and avoid losing their money. Along with the tips, CFA is releasing new videos about the most common fake check scams, the sweepstakes\/lottery and work-at-home versions. \u201cThe videos use humor to make a serious point,\u201d said Susan Grant, Director of Consumer Protection at Consumer Federation of America. \u201cThese scams can cost you thousands of dollars, and once you\u2019ve sent cash to a crook, it\u2019s likely gone for good.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFake check scams are an equal-opportunity fraud,\u201d said John Breyault, Director of the National Consumers League\u2019s Fraud Center. \u201cScam artists are savvy, networked, and know every button to push to get consumers from all walks of life to fall for their schemes.\u201d Fake check scams remain the top complaint to NCL\u2019s Fraud Center, a clearinghouse for reports about telemarketing and Internet fraud. A statistical analysis of complaints from 2009, 2010, and January through May 2011 show that people between the ages of 18 and 30 are much more likely to be targeted for the work-at-home version of the scam than other age groups, while those who are 66 and older are far more likely to be targeted for the sweepstakes\/lottery version. In the work-at-home scenarios, consumers are supposedly hired as \u201caccount managers\u201d to process payments for a company or as \u201cmystery shoppers.\u201d The sweepstakes\/lottery version hooks consumers with phony notices informing them that they have won millions and asking them to pay taxes or other fees from the \u201cadvance\u201d that they receive in order to claim the rest of their money.<\/p>\n

In nearly all of the cases in which consumers reported to NCL that they had sent the money to the fake check scammers, they did so by using a money transfer service. \u201cCon artists want the funds to be sent to them via a money transfer service because it\u2019s quick, it\u2019s cash, and it\u2019s hard to trace,\u201d said Grant. \u201cYou should only use these services to send money to people that you\u2019ve met in person and known for a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201dIn difficult economic times, many consumers are on the lookout for creative ways to make ends meet, such as home-based business opportunities. Others may be desperate enough to let their guard down and be tempted by offers they wouldn\u2019t otherwise consider,\u201d said Breyault. \u201cScam artists take advantage of this to rob consumers blind. Educating consumers about this crime is the first step in taking on the fraudsters.\u201d<\/p>\n

CFA and NCL warn that:<\/p>\n