How to tell if a check is fake
If you sell anything online - on ebay, yahoo, craigslist, or other auction sites - the chances are that you have probably come across a fake check or you will encounter one. I personally have had numerous fake checks sent to me, and I almost fell for a scam once that would have cost me a lot of money. Here is how you identify if a check is fake.
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Instructions
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There are a lot ways to verify if a check is fake, but the fastest, most accurate way to tell if a check is fake is to look at the routing numbers at the bottom to see if they are blurry or printed in a fat dull type. The routing numbers are the only true way to verify if a check is fraudulent or not. Water marking, special logos, etc can all be faked. The routing numbers can not be faked.
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Take a check that you think is fake in to your bank, where you have an active account. We are not taking the check into the bank to deposit, we are taking it in to get verified.
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Ask the bank teller to try and run the check to see if the routing numbers were printed with a special magnetic ink. Most of the time they are not printed with the ink, and the computer system will let the bank teller know that the check is probably a fraud.
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If the check comes back as valid when they run it through the system, and you are still concerned that it is a fake check, you can also ask the bank teller to call in the routing number and see if the numbers are real. There is a national registry of routing numbers that the teller can access. I highly recommend that you have the bank teller call in the routing number - it is the only way to be sure.
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DO NOT DEPOSIT THE CHECK. If you try to just deposit the check, there is the possibility that the bank will not question it's validity, cash it, and then you will be in serious trouble. It could take a few days or even a few weeks for the bank to find out that the check was fake, and you will be responsible for all the bank charges incurred, and overdrafts if you started spending it.
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If the routing numbers check out, and the bank feels that the check is valid, go ahead and deposit it. However, do not send them your product, and do not spend the money until the check clears.
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If the check clears, then send them the product, spend your money however you like. If the check does not clear, and it has been proved that it is a fake check. Tell the person who sent you the check to go pound salt.
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Let people know about these scammers and try to expose their company, names, etc to everyone you know selling online. Take a look at my other article about common scams on craigslist here: http://www.ehow.com/how_2297457_avoid-scams-craigslist.html
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Tips & Warnings
Check the airmail envelope that you got the check in. Does the address match the check
Also check the inside of the envelope to see if the ink from the check rubbed off onto it. Believe me, I have had checks come to me so fast, they were wet enough to rub off onto their envelopes when mailed.
DO NOT CASH THE CHECK
YOU WILL GET HIT WITH ALL KINDS OF CHARGES FROM THE BANK
YOU WILL FUND A POTENTIAL TERRORIST GROUP
YOU WILL LOSE MONEY, PRODUCTS, AND SUFFER OTHER FINANCIAL CONSEQUENCES
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Comments
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Depending on what you mean by "faked," routing numbers can indeed be faked. It's not hard to get the routing number for a bank--just look at any legitimate check from that bank. In many cases, banks provide the number on their website. The most reliable way to verify a check is to go to the bank it's drawn on; if it's a national bank, it may have a branch close to you. They can verify that the account number and signature match their records, which another bank can't do. If no local branch is available, then follow the steps described. But note that "the check clearing" is not, these days, the same as "getting the funds released to your account," which now typically happens the day after the check is deposited. If the check is fraudulent, the deposit can be reversed several days later. If you're suspicious about a check, ask your bank how you can know that the check has actually cleared.
