How I Nearly Fell for the "Fake Check Scam"

I want to tell you about a popular internet scam that I recently came across, which could cause you to lose a lot of money, if you fall for it. The scam that I almost fell for is a variety of the "fake check scam." In case you aren't familiar with this scam yet, basically what happens is you would be asked to deposit a check or money order into your bank account. Then, you would be asked to deduct your "pay" from the amount of the check.

Wire the rest of the money to a location overseas. So what is the scam then? Unfortunately for you, the check was fake. Now your bank is going to realize it and you are going to be responsible for the entire amount of money. This is definitely not something that you want to fall for!

Here is how it happened to me: I was looking around on craigslist for part-time job opportunities. I responded to an ad for a "bookkeeping position." I was immediately emailed an application which didn't ask for much information other than my mailing address. I was given the name of a company called Borderline Fabrics Ltd.

I googled the name of the company, and sure enough, it is real. I was told that I would be receiving money orders that were payments from the company's cash paying customers in the United States. I would then be responsible to deposit them into my bank account, deduct 10% as my own payment, and then wire the remaining money to a location in Nigeria via Western Union.

By this point I had realized that this was a scam, but it was too late to get out of it. They already had my address. About a week later, I received an envelope via UPS Second Day Air. I opened it up to find 3 money orders worth $1000.00 each. I was also receiving numerous emails requesting me to deposit the money orders. I knew this was a scam, but I hadn't figured out what the scam was exactly. At this point, I went on the internet to figure things out, and realized that the money orders were, in fact, fake.

I felt shaken as I realized the mistake I had nearly made. What if I had deposited these? I would now owe to the bank $3,000.00. As a student, I do not have this kind of money, and I would be financially ruined right now. I couldn't believe how naïve I had been, yet at the same time, I was relieved that I had at least realized it was a scam before it was too late! I immediately filed a report with the FBI and I am holding onto the money orders as evidence.

I feel appalled at how low people will stoop to cheat people out of their money. I realize now that Borderline Fabrics is a legitimate company and that they likely have no idea that this scam is hiding behind them. I wonder if it would be helpful for me to make them aware of this.

Thankfully I did not lose my money and bank account due to this scam. I want to do my part to spread the word about this. I want to help other people to avoid this, to learn from my nearly financially devastating mistake. Finally, if you have been a victim of internet fraud, you can and should report it to the FBI by filing a report at their website.