Fake check scam

Someone overpays you with a check — for an item you're selling, a car-wrap gig, a mystery-shopper job — and asks you to deposit it and send back the difference. Banks must make funds available within days, so the money appears in your account. Weeks later the check proves fake, the deposit is reversed, and the money you wired is yours to lose.

• A check for more than the agreed amount, with a request to refund the difference
• Urgency to deposit and forward money before the check 'clears'
• Payment by check from a stranger for a simple transaction
• Job offers that begin with a check and instructions to buy equipment or gift cards

"I've mailed a check for $2,450 — keep $450 for the item and your trouble, and please wire $2,000 to the shipping agent to arrange pickup."

1. 01Never accept a check for more than the price, and never send money back.
2. 02Know that 'funds available' does not mean the check is good — verification takes weeks.
3. 03Insist on payment methods that can't be reversed for stranger transactions.
4. 04Report to the FTC and your bank if you deposited one.