When a stranger offers to do business and sends you a check for more than the amount asked, DO NOT CASH THE CHECK AND DO NOT WIRE BACK THE DIFFERENCE.

moops: When a stranger offers to do business and sends you a check for more than the amount asked, DO NOT CASH THE CHECK AND DO NOT WIRE BACK THE DIFFERENCE.

My fax from Nigeria says different

My Gawd, how many times does this scam have to run before people learn. What a farking idiot...

moops: When a stranger offers to do business and sends you a check for more than the amount asked, DO NOT CASH THE CHECK AND DO NOT WIRE BACK THE DIFFERENCE.

He actually wired back more than the fees he was supposedly keeping... This is really bizarre. He absolutely should have realized that there was some sort of issue here.

It's as bogus as a $3 2 bill," LoyaTaco Bell said.

FTFY

So, this is just another version of the distance car buying scam? What a loser.

He should consider himself lucky.

When non-lawyers fall for this scam they commonly end up in prison for passing bad checks.

Shvetz: moops: When a stranger offers to do business and sends you a check for more than the amount asked, DO NOT CASH THE CHECK AND DO NOT WIRE BACK THE DIFFERENCE.

He actually wired back more than the fees he was supposedly keeping... This is really bizarre. He absolutely should have realized that there was some sort of issue here.

I laughed. Well, not so much out loud, but in my head...so I guess I thought about laughing or at least thought that I found it almost laughable, or something like that.

What a macaroon! Good Gawd, even my credit union has notices posted next to the teller access to NOT accept checks and term on this basis. They state right there, in easily readable English, that this is a KNOWN scam. BTW, I live just outside out Houston, so this is not podunk city (at least in some respects).

That's a pretty smart incarnation of the wire check fraud scam, because that's one of the few cases where a check would legitimately arrive for a certain amount above what you'd want to pay the client.

fnordfocus: He should consider himself lucky.

When non-lawyers fall for this scam they commonly end up in prison for passing bad checks.

If it weren't for the fact that he gained absolutely nothing out of this, you might be onto something.

pounddawg: moops: When a stranger offers to do business and sends you a check for more than the amount asked, DO NOT CASH THE CHECK AND DO NOT WIRE BACK THE DIFFERENCE.

My fax from Nigeria says different

That scam has been going on for so long, my dad used to get "official-looking" snail mail letters to his business. This was in the days before fax machines.

ColoTex: What a macaroon! Good Gawd, even my credit union has notices posted next to the teller access to NOT accept checks and term on this basis. They state right there, in easily readable English, that this is a KNOWN scam. BTW, I live just outside out Houston, so this is not podunk city (at least in some respects).

Oh yeah? Which respects would those be?

Why the big hurry to return the difference to his "clients"? Could he not tell them I will return the difference once your check clears my bank?

ColoTex: What a macaroon! Good Gawd, even my credit union has notices posted next to the teller access to NOT accept checks and term on this basis. They state right there, in easily readable English, that this is a KNOWN scam. BTW, I live just outside out Houston, so this is not podunk city (at least in some respects).

It's amazing how many people don't understand Internet 101.

This guy is qualified to become a Secret Shopper.

Look at this closely:

FTA: But before the lawyers actually had to do anything, an official check -- like a cashier's-type check -- from Citibank arrived in express mail.

Checks that were written for more than $300,0000 arrived at the office.

"And it's written out to us and it looks like a fairly legitimate check," Loya said.

Okay - this greedy biastard ambulance chaser thought he was gonna get $112,000 for doing NOTHING! Then wire back the $182,000 back to the client...yeah, they have an app for that!

I think the lesson here is that you always wait for the check you deposited to clear before writing out any instruments against it.

jxb465: fnordfocus: He should consider himself lucky.

When non-lawyers fall for this scam they commonly end up in prison for passing bad checks.

If it weren't for the fact that he gained absolutely nothing out of this, you might be onto something.

Doesn't matter, they'll still prosecute. You can find dozens of examples like this with a quick Google.

mikdeetx: Look at this closely:

FTA: But before the lawyers actually had to do anything, an official check -- like a cashier's-type check -- from Citibank arrived in express mail.

Checks that were written for more than $300,0000 arrived at the office.

"And it's written out to us and it looks like a fairly legitimate check," Loya said.

Okay - this greedy biastard ambulance chaser thought he was gonna get $112,000 for doing NOTHING! Then wire back the $182,000 back to the client...yeah, they have an app for that!

Come again? I'm sorry, your horrendous grammar and spelling distracted me from what you were saying.

/I can forgive the occasional typo, but come on, man!
//Do you live in Boulder and volunteer by pulling clothing out of donation bins by any chance?

jxb465: fnordfocus: He should consider himself lucky.

When non-lawyers fall for this scam they commonly end up in prison for passing bad checks.

If it weren't for the fact that he gained absolutely nothing out of this, you might be onto something.

Unfortunately, fnordfocus is right. Since at least 2007, people have been being arrested for trying to cash checks from schemes in which they are the victim.

I know Shirley Tias was one case. She was arrested for fraud when she deposited a cashiers check for "winning the lottery." She received something like $3,000 in the cashiers check and was to send back $1,500 of it in order to "confirm her winnings".

She was arrested when she tried to cash it, and spent the night in jail. She was able to go home the next day when the bank decided not to press charges, but that's not much comfort. The banks really don't have much interest in stopping this kind of scam since they have little to gain from it.

This is far from rare. From my understanding happens at least 50-100 times per year.

But, the son of a Nigerian General just sent me a check to get their fortune out of the country and I sent him back the money in cash. Should I have not done that?

/// derp, derp, derp.

jxb465: mikdeetx: Look at this closely:

FTA: But before the lawyers actually had to do anything, an official check -- like a cashier's-type check -- from Citibank arrived in express mail.

Checks that were written for more than $300,0000 arrived at the office.

"And it's written out to us and it looks like a fairly legitimate check," Loya said.

Okay - this greedy biastard ambulance chaser thought he was gonna get $112,000 for doing NOTHING! Then wire back the $182,000 back to the client...yeah, they have an app for that!

Come again? I'm sorry, your horrendous grammar and spelling distracted me from what you were saying.

/I can forgive the occasional typo, but come on, man!
//Do you live in Boulder and volunteer by pulling clothing out of donation bins by any chance?

Thanks for stopping by. We're not sure what this thread would be without your amazing contribution.

At least mikdeetx made a good, relevant point.

UseUrHeadFred: jxb465: fnordfocus: He should consider himself lucky.

When non-lawyers fall for this scam they commonly end up in prison for passing bad checks.

If it weren't for the fact that he gained absolutely nothing out of this, you might be onto something.

Unfortunately, fnordfocus is right. Since at least 2007, people have been being arrested for trying to cash checks from schemes in which they are the victim.

I know Shirley Tias was one case. She was arrested for fraud when she deposited a cashiers check for "winning the lottery." She received something like $3,000 in the cashiers check and was to send back $1,500 of it in order to "confirm her winnings".

She was arrested when she tried to cash it, and spent the night in jail. She was able to go home the next day when the bank decided not to press charges, but that's not much comfort. The banks really don't have much interest in stopping this kind of scam since they have little to gain from it.

This is far from rare. From my understanding happens at least 50-100 times per year.

But if he tried cashing it, he would know the check was fraudulent and would be rejected by the bank. I could see some stupid schmuck like Tias not knowing that, but a lawyer surely would. Presumably...

/Ok, I see your point now.

pureobscure: jxb465: mikdeetx: Look at this closely:

FTA: But before the lawyers actually had to do anything, an official check -- like a cashier's-type check -- from Citibank arrived in express mail.

Checks that were written for more than $300,0000 arrived at the office.

"And it's written out to us and it looks like a fairly legitimate check," Loya said.

Okay - this greedy biastard ambulance chaser thought he was gonna get $112,000 for doing NOTHING! Then wire back the $182,000 back to the client...yeah, they have an app for that!

Come again? I'm sorry, your horrendous grammar and spelling distracted me from what you were saying.

/I can forgive the occasional typo, but come on, man!
//Do you live in Boulder and volunteer by pulling clothing out of donation bins by any chance?

Thanks for stopping by. We're not sure what this thread would be without your amazing contribution.

At least mikdeetx made a good, relevant point.

Serious question here, how was your comment any better than mine?

UseUrHeadFred: jxb465: fnordfocus: He should consider himself lucky.

When non-lawyers fall for this scam they commonly end up in prison for passing bad checks.

If it weren't for the fact that he gained absolutely nothing out of this, you might be onto something.

Unfortunately, fnordfocus is right. Since at least 2007, people have been being arrested for trying to cash checks from schemes in which they are the victim.

I know Shirley Tias was one case. She was arrested for fraud when she deposited a cashiers check for "winning the lottery." She received something like $3,000 in the cashiers check and was to send back $1,500 of it in order to "confirm her winnings".

She was arrested when she tried to cash it, and spent the night in jail. She was able to go home the next day when the bank decided not to press charges, but that's not much comfort. The banks really don't have much interest in stopping this kind of scam since they have little to gain from it.

This is far from rare. From my understanding happens at least 50-100 times per year.

Well maybe it will get people to stop and think before they do stupid shiat.

What attorney wires money from an account without verifying that the check was paid by the bank? Or at least verifying that the check is legit?

When I worked for a bank I used to always field calls from attorneys asking if the Cashiers Check that they deposited the day before was paid by the bank it was written on. Sometimes it even involved me making a few phone calls if it was drawn on a bank that was out of the area.

ftfa

It's surprising the links they went to to perpetrate the scam,"

So he's an idiot and also illiterate.

moops: When a stranger offers to do business and sends you a check for more than the amount asked, DO NOT CASH THE CHECK AND DO NOT WIRE BACK THE DIFFERENCE.

Apparently lawyers need to be told this as well...

jxb465... you are not making much sense. Get off the drugs

mikdeetx, good point. Scams are all about greed and distraction. They gave the lawyer "carte blanch" to take his fee as he saw fit. He was probably so distracted trying to rationalize how much he could charge that he forgot to consider the obvious.

Moral of the story is Dallas > Houston

The scary thing is this moron could end up being the lawyer on important cases such as people facing the death penalty and he hasn't got even enough common sense or judgment to figure out he was being badly conned. I am not sure someone like that is best to have on a team while facing prosecution.

burber:
Moral of the story is Dallas > Houston

Not really. They are equally sucky and in need of a few nukes to clean up the mess.

Thanks for your support fellow Farkers. I wrote my post from the gut, which is allowed to make grammatical errors for justice! Now if I can scam a few more Houston lawyers, I can move to the Caymans, or Belize.

fnordfocus: He should consider himself lucky.

When non-lawyers fall for this scam they commonly end up in prison for passing bad checks.

It depends. If you deposit it in your bank account (as happened here) you won't because you'll never actually get the $$$. It's like any other check w/ISF. But go to a checking cashing place like my mom did, oh yeah, you'll be arrested.

she got probation, community service and had to pay a fine.

zahadum party planner: fnordfocus: He should consider himself lucky.

When non-lawyers fall for this scam they commonly end up in prison for passing bad checks.

It depends. If you deposit it in your bank account (as happened here) you won't because you'll never actually get the $$$. It's like any other check w/ISF. But go to a checking cashing place like my mom did, oh yeah, you'll be arrested.

she got probation, community service and had to pay a fine.

What did she expect would happen?

In the end, it comes down to misconceptions.

People seem to believe that when a bank states an item is "cleared," it means that the item has been verified to be legitimate. There is also the belief that money orders and cashier's checks are "just like cash."

Banks do not do a fraud check before a deposit clears. Banks make money available in around five business days max, but are unable (unwilling?) to detect whether or not a money order or cashier's check is legitimate for 4-6 weeks.

Money Orders and Cashier's Checks are not the same as cash. Both can be counterfeited much more easily than cash can. Regarding fraud detection, Money Orders can take even longer to bounce than cashier's checks do, since they require processing by the postal service. The only thing that is the same as cash is... cash (usually).

tirob: I think the lesson here is that you always wait for the check you deposited to clear before writing out any instruments against it.

I think the lesson is that you should read the article before criticizing. The bank told him that the check cleared before he sent the money. He has a recording of the automated message.

"It's surprising the links they went to to perpetrate the scam," Loya said.


i can't believe they went to all those Links either

I've received several of these solicitations. I actually exchanged emails with one person. It took about about three questions from me to get to "thanks but, no thanks".

I can't imagine any attorney not being able to do the pre-retainer due diligence that would have made it evident this was a fraud.

The most recent ones I received didn't even address the email to me directly. The "undisclosed recipients" should be a clue.

TheyCallThisWork: tirob: I think the lesson here is that you always wait for the check you deposited to clear before writing out any instruments against it.

I think the lesson is that you should read the article before criticizing. The bank told him that the check cleared before he sent the money. He has a recording of the automated message.

I did read the article and my point was and is...Houston lawyer billed his client $112,000 for doing nothing - he should be disbarred. They admitted they didn't do anything but the Houston lawyer was willing to get paid for it. He got burned in the process and now has the audacity to sue Citibank because of an automated message that said it cleared. Not good gumshoe work when you're dealing with that amount of money from oversees.

IMHO - he got what he deserved. Just wait until the Bar Association gets wind of this one.

burber: Moral of the story is Dallas > Houston

Austin > The rest of Texas.

Oliver Twisted: It's as bogus as a $3 2 bill," LoyaTaco Bell said.

FTFY

Kinda looks like "Taco Bell" was smarter than "Wonder Bread" this time around, eh, Corky?

OMG - my bad - it should be overseas - didn't want the lexicon police flogging me again.

Lehk: ftfa
It's surprising the links they went to to perpetrate the scam,"


So he's an idiot and also illiterate.

Yes, he is illiterate in addition to being a moran. FTA: "...caused stress to my wife and I."

chizzle: "It's surprising the links they went to to perpetrate the scam," Loya said.


i can't believe they went to all those Links either

So he's a moran golfer.

fnordfocus: He should consider himself lucky.

When non-lawyers fall for this scam they commonly end up in prison for passing bad checks.

fnordfocus: Doesn't matter, they'll still prosecute. You can find dozens of examples like this with a quick Google.

Dude, your linked article refutes what you posted.

FTLA: Cashing a fake check becomes a criminal act when you are aware of the counterfeit. Typically, banks won't press charges unless it's clear you knew about the scam, Feddis said.

After state officials talked to the county prosecutors, Walls received a pro bono public defender, and all charges were dropped.

Lawyer is dumb. When can we actually go over there and kick the Nigerians teeth down their throats? This is getting old. That would seem to be the better option. That and using our "White oppression" to say cut off power to Nigeria for a full year. Oh yeah the OLPC project in which we were kind enough to send the lil farkers laptops to scam us on don't need power. Hmm. Maybe send them pox-infected laptops??? Worked before.