Overpayment for Goods or Services Posted on February 8, 2008 at 06:55:54 PM by McLean
You have advertised a car in an on-line market and are contacted by someone who is interested in making the purchase. They agree to pay the advertised amount, but, oops, they made the check out for $3,000 more than the asking price. Because you seem to be such an honest individual, they trust you with these extra funds and ask you to simply deposit the check into your bank account and wire the excess to their shipper, who is arranging for pickup of the vehicle. As it turns out, they are not so trusting. The check is counterfeit. As with the other 419 scams, once the check is returned as uncollected, the money is already gone, and you are left with a loss.
In addition to contacting the appropriate financial institutions as outlined in the Receipt of Suspicious Checks / Verifying Authenticity section, there are others who you should notify as well if you are in receipt of a counterfeit item and associated e-mails and correspondence regarding the overpayment. They include:
US Postal Inspection Service - by telephone at 1-888-877-7644 , by mail at U.S. Postal Inspection Service, 222 S. Riverside Plaza, Suite 1250, Chicago, IL 60606-6100 or via e-mail at http://www.usps.com/postalinspectors/fraud/MailFraudComplaint.htm
Federal Trade Commission (FTC): by telephone at 1-877-FTC-HELP or by filing an electronic complaint via their internet site at www.ftc.gov
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Internet Fraud Complaint Center (Scams that may have originated via the internet): www.ic3.gov
Royal Canadian Mounted Police (Canadian Scams): by telephone at 1-888-495-8501 or via e-mail at [info@phonebusters.com]. Their website, www.phonebusters.com , provides additional contact numbers.
Originator's mailbox provider: If the correspondence was received in the form of an e-mail, notify the originator's mailbox provider that the originator's email address is being used to solicit illegal activities. For example, Yahoo and Hotmail have the following email addresses set up: abuse@yahoo.com; abuse@hotmail.com.
Most importantly, do NOT make contact with the con artist; they can be extremely dangerous. If at anytime, you feel physically threatened, you should contact your local police department immediately.