Washington State

Office of the Attorney General

Attorney General

Bob Ferguson

A Lakewood music teacher was the target of anattempted scam that proves that cons continue to find new ways to trick people into sending money.

As with other versions of this increasingly popular form of fraud, a scammer tried to win the teacher's confidence by sending a fake money order for an amount greater than the actual cost of the service (in this case, music lessons). These ploys work when a victim 1) deposits a phony money order or check and 2) wires money the con claims is necessary to cover some related fee or expense.

 If you wire money, you usually have little recourse if something goes wrong with the transaction. And if you deposit one of these phony checks and spend the cash, you're in trouble. After the con’s check bounces, the bank will withdraw the funds from your account and hold you liable for any overdraft fees. So remember this: Never wire money to someone you don’t know.

Categories

Recent Posts

Blogroll & Consumer News

Product Recalls

Resources