<VV> Scams are fun but don't send ANY $$$ ! (No Corvair)

Charles Lee Chaz at ProperProPer.com
Wed Feb 3 12:51:50 EST 2010


My brother tried to "buy some time" to pay his bills by sending the electric 
company's check to the gas company and vice versa, and claim it was a 
"mistake" but they both cashed the checks made out to someone else.

Have you noticed that the account info on your checks use "funny looking 
numbers" ?

They are machine readable (using the heavy part of the number and "optical 
character recognition/OCR"), and only "look like" numbers so people can read 
them.

It depends on whether the person who processes the payment is actually 
paying attention too, which is a variable you can't calculate !

If you get a check for "too much" and someone asks you to "refund" the 
difference, that is the scam - the original check will eventually be 
deducted from your account, probably AFTER you sent the "refund" to the 
scammer.

That was how they tried to get me selling my Corvair (several thousand $) 
and some smaller item, but the idea was the same.

I currently have my KH wire wheels on Craig's list and have rec'd several 
attempt to scam me in the past day or so, and I'm waiting for a "good one" 
to test my theory.

Have fun !
Charlie



----- Original Message ----- 
From: <airvair at earthlink.net>
To: "Ian Harding" <harding.ian at gmail.com>
Cc: <virtualvairs at corvair.org>; "Marc Marcoulides" <hharpo at earthlink.net>
Sent: Wednesday, February 03, 2010 9:26 AM
Subject: Re: <VV> Scams are fun but don't send ANY $$$ ! (No Corvair)


> Show you just how lax they are in handling checks, I once got two bill
> payment checks crossed in the payment envelopes. Both were similar (though
> several dollars difference) amounts. The company that received the low
> amount sent the check back, and I had to write another check for the 
> proper
> amount. The company that received the high amount CASHED the check, and
> credited me with the overage. Just how one company can cash a check made
> out to another totally different company amazes me to this day. You KNOW
> you or I could never get away with a similar stunt.
>
> Bottom line: checks are more hazardous than most people realize.
>
> -Mark
>
>> [Original Message]
>> From: Ian Harding <harding.ian at gmail.com>
>> Subject: Re: <VV> Scams are fun but don't send ANY $$$ ! (No Corvair)
>>
>> Yup.  A workman's helper walked off with a checkbook from our house,
>> and a bunch of people's cel phone bills got paid with our bank account
>> number and routing number.  Unlike credit card fraud, I don't think
>> the banks are under any obligation to give you back your money.  They
>> generally do because they want to keep the problem quiet to maintain
>> the consumer's confidence in the system.
>>
>> I think it's funny that the cel phone company would allow a bank
>> account that has a different name and address from the account holder
>> of the phone to be used to pay the bill without at least asking a
>> couple questions.  Paying with an "e-check" seems like an extra
>> convenience that should at least have that safeguard, but it doesn't.
>>
>> - Ian
>>
>> On Wed, Feb 3, 2010 at 4:17 AM, airvair at earthlink.net
>> <airvair at earthlink.net> wrote:
>> > The BIG problem with checks, as you point out, are the readable account
> and
>> > routing numbers on the bottom of each check and deposit slip. It makes
>> > checking accounts HIGHLY vunerable, more so than even a credit card, to
>> > theft.. All any thief has to do is write down those very visable
> numbers,
>> > and then go to town. They don't even have to steal a check, because
>> > (especially with internet shopping) they can simply use those numbers 
>> > to
>> > charge up a storm, faster than you can stop it all. It's why I
> frequently
>> > and periodically check my bank account online. And anyone who has any
> kind
>> > of bank or charge account should watch their accounts very, very
> closely.
>> >
>> > If the people running the banking system had any sense to them, they'd
>> > replace those visable numbers with a bar code and have NO (humanly)
>> > readable numbers whatsoever on checks. (And maybe credit cards, too.)
> But
>> > then, that's too rational an idea.
>> >
>> > -Mark
>> >
>> >> [Original Message]
>> >> From: Marc Marcoulides <hharpo at earthlink.net>
>> >> Subject: Re: <VV> Scams are fun but don't send ANY $$$ !
>> >>
>> >> Charles Wrote: This works because banks can "clear" the original check
> in
>> > YOUR account, making you feel that you actually got the money, and then
>> > pull the money
>> >> back out weeks later, when they "change their mind" (claiming int'l
> check
>> >> takes longer to verify)
>> >>
>> >> I am going to comment on this because I am an Insurance Agent but the
>> > agency I work for is owned by a credit union and we work closely
> together.
>> > The operations staff work very hard in an effort to prevent depositors
> from
>> > loss. What frustrates the effort is the scam artist who uses the real
>> > account numbers along the bottom of the check from a real company check
> of
>> > someone out there and then creates a check with his name on it. It
> clears
>> > and then the company or person later sees it is not thier check. Since
> the
>> > real person did not sign that check the bank where it was deposited 
>> > must
>> > take it back and if your account has money in it the amount of the 
>> > check
>> > will be subtracted from the balance. Of course by then it is too late
> and
>> > you have been taken. Some of these checks can be spotted others can 
>> > not,
>> > when there are a volume of these in one localaty alerts are broadcast 
>> > to
>> > assist in fraud prevention.
>> >>
>> >
>
>
>


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