Is this a cheque scam?

J

jillyb

Registered User
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126
Hi there,

I responded to a job on gumtree looking for a personal assistant. Person is working abroad a lot so needs someone to take care of things here. sending and receiving mail- free to open them up. doing shopping etc. They have an account with UPS so no need to use cash.
Person is paying me salary up front and money for the items they want bought & some sent to furniture company as they are buying furniture.

They just sent me a cheque today covering my salary and expenses.
Does this seem safe? was thinkin of lodging it and not sending any money till the cheque clears. what if it bounces though?

thanks in advance
 
Hi Jilly,

I haven't come across this scam before (others may have) but it does seem very fishy indeed. See it logically, why would someone send you money (someone they've never met) to do work for them when you could just pocket the money & disappear? Most likely if someone was looking for a PA, they wouldn't advertise on jumtree either.

You could lodge the cheque but be very very careful. A few cases have been posted here where people have been told by their bank that a cheque has cleared & it hasn't......if you want to lodge it, talk to your bank first & don't use ANY of the money until it has COMPLETELY cleared - this takes weeks if it's a foreign cheque.
 
Hi JillyB,

I would be very wary of this. Could well be a scam. They may be hoping you pay for furniture and other items out of your own money while waiting for cheque to clear. If cheque bounces you are out of pocket. This could be like the car buyers scam where a cheque for more than the car is worth is sent to the seller.

Did you ever meet this person? If not, I would be very suspicious that they would trust you with their money never having met you. A scammer would do this.

Don't pay out any money until you make sure cheque has cleared!
 
Sounds like a scam. Cheques can be cancelled in time and you're left minus money. I wouldnt trust anyone on Gumtree!
 
An item like this was only on Liveline last week after a woman was down money after she was sent out a cheque to cover her costs of sending shoping items abroad. She was claiming she saw and responed to a job offer on FAS website. FAS state it was not their site despite other phonong insaying they saw it advertised too.

Bank will cash the cheque.... however... may dishonour it some 2 weeks later...even after you withdrew it... and you are liable... SO beware
 
I would suspect it's almost certainly a scam. Jobs like this rarely exist in the real world. Tell your "employer" you won't be using your own money while waiting for cheques to clear. In fact, tell them to pay the furniture shop directly, it's simpler and more efficient to do this via bank transfer from anywhere in the world. If they resist, be very suspicious.
 

Good advice....why can't they pay the furniture shop by credit card from overseas?

ETA I can see the need for a personal assistant when you are living overseas.
My sister and a neighbour does stuff for me. I send them irish cheques to pay for things or if I can I pay direct by credit card eg DID for new washing machine. So I see the need but be careful.
 
If you see an ad that includes the words "cheque" and "abroad" then just assume it's a scam and move on.
 
hey thanks for the replies

Ya i'm definetlt thinking its dodgy. My boyfriends aunt works in AIB so going to bring her the cheque later to take a look at it. She works in relation to the recent scams.
Does it matter that its a llyods TSB bank cheque and its in sterling? the amount is £3,500 so i was thinkin of tryin to cash it on spot but its probably too much.
This amount includes my salary up front aswell, so if the cheque doesn't clear i should be safe.
If the cheque bounces will this give me a negative credit rating?

I haven't met the person as he's away workin in australia , so only had correspondance through email. I did think why didn't he just pay the furniture company himself. i will let him know i'm not sending any money till it clears!


Thanks
 
Very dodgy, Even if the cheque clears, it could be cancelled a month down the line, and then you'll be without your money.
 
You will know it's dodgy if he starts pressurising you to pay for the furniture asap, as he won't want to leave it too long as he knows the cheque will bounce.

Look at it this way, I know you have no reason to trust him, but why would he also trust a complete stranger with £3,500 of his money.

Do you know where the furniture is for? Is it to furnish a house in Ireland? How much information did he give you.
 
jillyb said:
My boyfriends aunt works in AIB so going to bring her the cheque later to take a look at it. She works in relation to the recent scams.
Thanks
Click to expand...

There is a lot of these overseas JOB scams going on and a lot of them advertise on Gumtree so it is hard to see what ads are really genuine.

This is a similar type of advert that scammers send to me when I sell laptops etc, that they are overseas etc and could you mail the item etc to their friend but the scammers are getting smarter and wiser.

Jilly B - Would you be good enough to enlighten the others on the scams that hit AIB???
 
Hi

Very dodgy, Even if the cheque clears, it could be cancelled a month down the line, and then you'll be without your money.

I didn't know that it can clear and then actually be cancelled. def worried now.
Ya if he pressures me to send the money straight away i'm just gona back out. As i think its dodgy he trusts me with so much money.

Do you know where the furniture is for? Is it to furnish a house in Ireland? How much information did he give

He said once i receive the cheque that he'll email me with more info about where to send it etc. so i don't know if its for a place in Ireland.

Jilly B - Would you be good enough to enlighten the others on the scams that hit AIB???

I don't know specifically all the scams- my boyfriend just told me that she has had experience dealing with the ones where people are given cheques to cash and told they have too much money and to send some back. Only for the original cheque to bounce. i can ask her later and post it up here if i get more info.



​
 
No, I am well aware of that scam, their is a new one which is related to a job advert which did state that you needed a AIB Bank account for a transfer. I belive it is a type of phishing of some kind as well as money laundering. They have since removed the reference of having a Irish bank account.

Out of interest, here is their latest advert :
http://www.gumtree.ie/dublin/59/37566659.html
 


It seems mad but it is true. The bank can look for the money from you after such a long period.

I don not think your credit rating would be affected by you recieving a bounced cheque, however you will be charged a small fee for the transaction. You credit rating would be affected if you were the one writing the bouncing cheque.

Ask the Bank how long it will take for the cheque to clear. Then ask for a written guarantee that if they process the cheque and it lodge money into your account and the cheque transpires to be a fake will they take the hit and not you. I think this will make your mind up for you.
 
i'd say dont trust it... it can be cancelled in time.. and your left with nothing.. sounds like a scam
 

The cheques in these scams are usually forged or stolen. The bank can always take the money back in these cases.
 
Jillyb,

Don't lodge the cheque to your account - ask your bank to 'send the cheque for collection'. This means they will send the cheque to the bank where the cheque is drawn, and if they are happy to pay, they will send your bank a direct bankers payments (who in turn will credit you).

The downside for you .... the UK Bank can take their time making the decision....

The upsaide - is that if/when payment comes through, there can be no further recourse to you - the money is cleared and there can be no surprises down the line.

Edit: Sorry I should have said don't send a cent anywhere 'til you've received your payment first.

Hope that helps.

Regards,

BM
 
+1.
It definitely sounds fishy, do not part with a cent unless and until the cheque is fully cleared as Bank Manager suggests by having it sent 'for collection'. Yes, this takes time, especially with foreign banks etc but it will be well worth it to have peace of mind and not lose your own money.
 
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