adminConsumers should be on the lookout for fake check scams, the National Credit Union Administration warned after receiving numerous inquiries from consumers. Credit union employees can be vigilant in helping spot such fraudulent checks.
Scammers lure consumers into depositing a cashier’s check, money order, or other checking instrument from someone that they don’t know and wiring or sending money to the scammers. A check may take considerably longer to clear the financial institution that issued it before the funds can be collected. It could take days or even weeks to discover that the deposited check was fraudulent. Typically, the financial institution will not cover the financial loss and expects the victim to pay the difference.
The Federal Trade Commission also recently issued a fake check scam alert. Fake checks can be hard to recognize and may be printed with the names, addresses, and logos of legitimate financial institutions.
