In most instances of fake check scams the one doing the scam will request that you to send money back to them in some way.  What they will do is send you a check for goods or services for more than the amount that is requested.  They will tell you to go ahead and deposit their check and then you are to wire them back the additional money.

In some instances, the scammer will ask you to wire them money for processing, legal fees, taxes, shipping, or any number of other expenses that you are going to have to pay before you will receive your reward or money.  The checks that the scammers will send you will feel and look real no matter if they are a cashier’s check or a personal check.  These checks have even been known to fool a bank teller.  These checks could have been written fraudulently or may be from a legitimate corporation or business.

Here are some things that you should be aware of.

• One thing that you should know is that fraudulent check will clear the bank quickly and the banks have to make the runs available within one to five days but it depends on the type of check.  The money may be available for you to withdraw from but if the bank discovers that it is a forgery a few weeks later and bounce the check.
• Any deposits you make are your responsibility which means that if you deposit a check that bounces the bank will withdraw the original amount of the check that was credited to your account.  If your account does not have enough money to cover it the bank may sue you to recover the money.
• There is no legitimate reason that anyone who is giving you money to ask you to send money back.  Make sure that you insist that the check be in the exact amount or deal in cash.

If you should get a phone call of this type make sure that you do not give out any information even if they sound legitimate for the simple reason is that you did not initiate the call.  Some of these scammers are so smart that they can even have your credit card company’s number show up on the caller ID by spoofing your caller ID.  Only trust calls that you make by using the number on the billing statement or on the back of your credit card.  If you get any numbers in an email or left on your answering machine that you do not know do not call them back and give them any personal information.

Call your credit card company immediately if you mistakenly give out your personal information.  The credit card company may give you a new credit card number or even a new credit card and deactivate the old one to prevent fraudulent charges from being made on your account.
Make sure that you check your credit card statement closely each month when you get it to see if there has been any unusual activity.  If you spot any unusual activity make sure that you call your credit card company and report it immediately.  If you mistakenly give out your social security number make sure that you place a fraud alert on your credit report.  You just need to call one of the credit reporting bureaus and they will let the other two know about the fraud alert.

The best line of defense is if you should get any type of phone calls like this to hang up.  Credit card companies would not be calling and asking you for your credit card number or security code because they already have your credit card number.

The Lottery Winner

In this scam you will either receive a phone call or a letter telling you that you have won some foreign lottery that you do not even remember entering.  This should be the first red flag.  They then proceed to tell you that all they need is your address and name to make the check out too and for tax purposes they are going to need your Social Security number.  What this identity theft scammer is hoping is that the person they contacted is greedy enough to let them in the front door, so to speak and be able to steal your personal information.
You are Hired

You know that you have put your resume on various online job-seeking websites but have not been interviewed nor offered a job so how can you be ready to be hired.  When the company calls you to let you know that they would love to hire you for a fabulous position.  They fax you tax forms and a job application and all you have to do is fill them, return them, and you get the job.  Unfortunately this company is also asking you for personal information.  This should give you some indication that it is very possible that this is a scammer or identity thief and you should not give them any personal information.
You are an Heir or Heiress

You get a call that someone has left you some a million dollars but you do not know this person who has died.  In order to get this inheritance you need to give the caller your Social Security number plus the account and routing number of your bank account.  With this scam the only one that is getting any money is the identity theft scammer plus they are getting your personal information if you gave them any of the information that they asked for.

The reason that the individual is not aware of it happening is that it does not appear on your credit report.  It is a combination of addresses, names, Social Security numbers and more so all this information does not ad up to a single person to claim fraud but a combination of different people.  Most of these will go unreported and eventually will be written of and become charge offs within the financial institution before anyone is aware of the problem.

You can protect yourself from Synthetic Identity Theft by making sure that you shred sensitive documents and mail because identity thieves have no problem going through your trash to find any type of personal information that they can use to steal your identity.  When you get those Social Security benefits booklets make sure that the income that is reported is accurate and there are no discrepancies.

If necessary you can put a Security Freeze on your credit report which is designed to keep a credit reporting company from releasing your credit report with getting your consent. You should make sure that you do not give out your Social Security number to anyone.  This is one piece of information that is very valuable to identity thieves.

When it comes to someone else using your Social Security number the odds are one in seven and one study shows that forty million of the Social Security numbers in use have been connected to more than one name and that approximately six percent of the population actually have multiple Social Security numbers that are associated with their name.  This is about twenty million people.

The reasons could be something as simple as a typo or an incorrect entry into the system but it can also mean that when identity thieves apply at different banks they will change one digit on each application.  This means that the second number is forever associated with this particular individual which creates a Synthetic identity.

You should always know who you are buying from and if it is a store that you have not shopped at before make sure that you take some time to research the store to see what other customers have to say about their experience shopping at this store.  You can even call the number for customer service and ask about their guarantees and policies.  If you cannot find a phone number send them an email and ask them these questions and any others you might have before you buy anything from them.

Make sure that the store’s website is encrypted so any personal and financial information is secure before it is sent over the internet.  One way to make sure that the site is encrypted is to make sure that the website address begins with “https” and not “http” before you hit the send button.  The “S” on the end of “http” means that the site is secure and it is safe to send your personal and financial information.
You should also review the store’s policies about returning things purchased from the store and make sure that the store’s commitment to customer service is what you would expect if you shopped at a brick and mortar store.  You also need to make sure that your computer security is current and not out of date.  You should be using a comprehensive anti virus software to make sure that it will help to prevent fraud, identity theft, and viruses.  You should also check for any updates on a regular basis and if possible enroll with a identity theft protection companies such as Lifelock.

If you have any doubts about the store, their security, their policies, and their guarantees, do not order from the and check out another store.  A good warning sign that this site may not be legitimate is the lack of contact information.  Also deals that sound too good to be true may also be a sign that the company might not be on the up and up.  In this situation it might be better to find another store.

You should also make sure that you review your credit card statement each month when it comes in to see if there are any discrepancies.