Check Recovery Service Scams
The availability of information on scams and a general rise in consumer awareness has decreased the success rate of scam artists. However, some people still get fooled into sending a check to an unknown company for supposed great riches in return. When inevitably nothing returns, they look for any avenue to fight back and often fall for more scams in the process.
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Targets
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The most likely victims of check recovery scams are those who originally lost money to other scams. Recovery scams claim they can recover your money for a fee when they cannot recover your check, conning the person a second time. These scam artists are often unrelated to the original con but buy directories listing information about people who are likely to be suckered into another fraud.
Tactics
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Perpetrators of this scam often impersonate government agencies to lend legitimacy to their claims that they can recover your check. By knowing what scams you have fallen prey to, they use a tactic called "social engineering," using one piece of information to gather more information or gain credentials. These nefarious individuals even go so far as to claim they have your check/money.
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Common Hooks
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There are a few scams that usually result in a follow-up recovery scam. Investment scams that offer great rewards for highly risky ventures such as antique coins and movie productions rarely make any money, if the investment even exists. Scam artists also send out mail that offers hyped up prizes or expensive cruises if you send them a check immediately, these prizes are usually low quality or much cheaper elsewhere.
Law
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The government has strict regulations on telemarketing sales, including a Do Not Call list, which telemarketers must abide by or face criminal prosecution, putting your number on this registry is completely free. If a scam artists calls from out of state they could also be in violation of interstate commerce rules for telemarketing.
Prevention
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Knowing that check recovery scams exist might be the best prevention for this type of scam. Realize that if you lost your money to one scam already that chances are these crooks will come after you again and to not give them any more money. When government agencies manage to finally prosecute fraudsters they almost never contact the victims.
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