Questions tagged [fraud]
For questions related to fraud awareness, prevention, and resolution.
52
questions
277
votes
12
answers
171k
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I received $1000 and was asked to send it back. How was this scam meant to work?
Possible Australianism - netbank = a website + app by which an Aussie can do their banking, including transferring money to other people.
A while ago, I ended up with $1000 transferred into my ...
- 4,371
97
votes
10
answers
93k
views
Scam or Real: A woman from Facebook apparently needs my bank account to send money
A woman on Facebook recently contacted my dad.
She asked him to get a bank account so she could send him money, and he would send money to her employees (about 12 people), and she would pay him for ...
- 1,053
129
votes
2
answers
832k
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Is it safe to give out one's bank account number?
I'm managing the utility of the house and I'm sharing with another person. He asks me to provide my bank account number, so that he can transfer his money to my account when paying the utility.
I ...
- 5,883
54
votes
7
answers
144k
views
Can't the account information on my checks be easily used for fraud?
My Bank of America checks contain my routing & account number, which I've used in the past to make purchases online, among other things. Anyone whom I pay with a check has this information. It ...
- 725
101
votes
5
answers
69k
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Is this person doing illegal money transfers?
This girl that I'm friends with and have actually seen in person before, keeps posting [on social media] that she "loves when the transfer goes through" and gets $2000-$6000 for free quite often. She ...
- 929
17
votes
2
answers
2k
views
When can I be sure a questionable check has cleared?
Someone has sent me a check for $250 in payment for property damage they caused in a car accident. It would have been better if I had gotten a cashier's check or official check, but I'll have to make ...
- 271
15
votes
1
answer
3k
views
How do I freeze my credit?
If freezing your credit is a better way to protect your identity and the associated credit that goes along with it, how do I freeze my credit?
- 25.2k
47
votes
9
answers
17k
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I believe this to be fraud — hired, then asked to cash check and send cash as Bitcoin
I have been "hired" by Nissan Motor as a key account specialist.
My first assignment is to cash two checks that I have received. Both were written by a customer who has already received the engines. ...
- 427
67
votes
6
answers
25k
views
Stranger sent me $12,100
I have a small landscaping business and I advertised through Facebook. Some guy reached out to me via text message, asking me to do a job for him. He asked for a quote for installing sod in his ...
- 569
62
votes
4
answers
31k
views
Counterfeit checks were created for my account. How does this type of fraud work?
Two days ago, first thing in the morning I updated my quicken accounts and saw that my primary checking account had two unidentified checks totaling several thousand dollars, wiping out the account ...
- 633
38
votes
3
answers
6k
views
Taxes when transferring money
I'm a US taxpayer (non-resident alien) and I'm being pushed by a friend to do the following:
He will transfer 40k from a US bank account that he owns to my personal account.
I will withdraw this ...
- 493
81
votes
4
answers
86k
views
Someone wants to send me cash by DHL. How's this scam supposed to work?
This raises a bunch of red flags (also confirmed by googling the email address it came from), but I don't quite understand how this scam is actually supposed to work. So, here it goes:
I put up an ad ...
- 845
28
votes
3
answers
19k
views
Robocall claiming to be IRS saying they are about to sue - Is it legit?
We got a recorded call with a message claiming to be from the IRS. It said they were giving final notice and preparing to file a lawsuit against us. In our case, the message went to voicemail so the ...
user32479
3
votes
2
answers
4k
views
Military member asks me if she can have money wired into my bank account but needs my social security number and bank routing number [duplicate]
I was recently talking to someone online and she said that she was in the Army and then she went on to tell me that she had a lump sum of 45,000$ co.i g to her but she needed my bank account routing ...
- 31
57
votes
8
answers
52k
views
Received a package but didn't order it
My boyfriend's little brother received 2 packages today. One from Eastbay and the other from Office Depot. They were addressed to him but never ordered by him.
We called both companies and they gave ...
- 529
12
votes
4
answers
880
views
How should I protect myself from the Equifax breach without making my own life much harder?
The FTC recommends those who may be impacted by the Equifax data breach do the following:
Check credit reports at annualcreditreport.com.
Enroll in the 1 year of free credit monitoring provided by ...
- 3,369
106
votes
8
answers
32k
views
Scamming an investor by offering a quick sale of a property at her named price
My mother-in-law was approached by an old friend who she hadn't heard from in a couple of years with a "business proposition" which is almost certainly a scam. I don't really understand how the scam ...
- 909
32
votes
9
answers
15k
views
How do you send money when you're not sure it's not a scam?
I've been hunting around for an apartment recently, and along with the countless posts on Craigslist, I found one with a good price but slightly strange story. The poster claims to have been sent to ...
- 1,375
16
votes
5
answers
8k
views
Cashing a fishy cheque addressed to someone else
I agreed to cash a cheque for someone I don't really know. In hindsight, this was very stupid, but now I need to figure out how best to get out of this situation.
We both endorsed the cheque, it ...
- 225
9
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Military personnel funds transfer scam
I was contacted by someone who claims he is in the military stationed overseas. He said he could transfer fund from his account to mine. Just wondering if this is true. I am not interested in ...
- 91
6
votes
5
answers
2k
views
How do I protect my credit/debit cards from being stolen or scanned?
Until a few years ago my credit card number had only been stolen once, about 15 years ago. But in the last two years it has been stolen four times. The first recent time was a few years ago in Hawaii, ...
- 161
5
votes
4
answers
10k
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Does a bank have to tell me if a check made out to me was cashed there?
I moved out of a place and I was supposed to receive my last pay check there. I think my housemate deposited it in his account. I know banks are not supposed to, but it's in a small town so people ...
- 107
5
votes
2
answers
603
views
Does SIPC protection apply if a brokerage doesn't actually purchase securities?
Suppose there is a brokerage (not like Madoff case), where investors buy ordinary stocks/ETFs (qqq, brk-b orcl or any stock traded on NASDAQ/NYSE, not pink sheet or unlisted) at a time (and never sell)...
- 1,055
5
votes
2
answers
158k
views
I gave a scammer my name and address; what can they do with that information? [duplicate]
I accidentally gave my name and address to a scammer. What can I do? Is that bad? What can they do with that information?
- 79
3
votes
2
answers
578
views
What is the goal of this spam?
I'm working In sales for one company and we usually recieve a couple of mails like this per month:
Good Day!!
This is [Person] from [Company] in [Location] We find out that your product are very ...
- 484
3
votes
1
answer
537
views
Can a validated cashier's check deposit be reverted?
I am thinking of selling my car, and reading the advice here, it seems that going with the buyer to my bank office, getting my bank to validate the buyer cashier's check and then completing the sale ...
- 1,527
3
votes
1
answer
424
views
Ensuring a cashier's check is legitimate
I'm looking to sell a vehicle for the first time. I've purchased a few vehicles using cashier's checks, but I've never had to receive one. Assuming I am willing to accept the risk of a cashier's ...
- 1,009
1
vote
2
answers
302
views
I submitted my credit card number to an unreputable site. What should I do now?
I was shopping for an uncommon item, found a site that claimed to sell it, and placed an order with my credit card (which went through Verified by Visa). Only afterward did I realize that this site ...
- 667
98
votes
11
answers
23k
views
Why does the introduction of chip & pin appear to be so controversial in the United States?
The past few weeks there have been many news articles about the introduction of chip & pin in the United States; most of these articles are against it and citing such 'issues' as:
"Some people ...
- 1,224
72
votes
4
answers
18k
views
Is there any danger of my neighbor having my wife's signature?
On Monday my next door neighbor came over and asked my wife for her signature. He said they were having a contest at work (he works at the local grocery store) that whoever got the most signatures got ...
- 701
41
votes
3
answers
30k
views
Is it a scam if someone asks for my full name, email, and bank name?
I was approached on Instagram by a painter who wants to use one of my posts as a reference for a painting for a client of his. He said my cut would be $500 and he needs my full name, and bank name for ...
- 435
26
votes
10
answers
22k
views
Is giving my girlfriend money for her mortgage closing costs and down payment considered fraud?
My girlfriend is in the process of buying a home. We're not married, common-law or otherwise.
I was planning to help her pay for the closing costs and down payment, with my contribution being about $...
- 362
24
votes
10
answers
11k
views
Boutique Investment firm cold called me offering me the chance to purchase stock in a private placement. Legit or scam?
A week ago I got a cold call from someone doing "research about investment experience" which ended with "we might call you if a investment opportunity comes up". A couple of days ago a person from a "...
- 379
19
votes
4
answers
10k
views
I made an investment with a company that contacted me, was it safe?
I am a French person living abroad who invested a bit of money with a company that contacted me some time ago. This leading to that, I am a bit doubtful (legitimately?) that I will ever see my money ...
- 191
14
votes
4
answers
3k
views
Someone has my check: any risks?
Some time ago I found a room to rent in another city (via Craigslist). I talked with the lady renting out the room on the phone and after we made a deal I sent her a half of the month rent ($375). Not ...
- 285
11
votes
5
answers
1k
views
How to verify that money transferred to you is really and irreversibly yours [duplicate]
There are countless examples of the overpayment scam on this StackExchange. Whereby the victim believes that they've been sent money and is asked to send some of it elsewhere, and then the original ...
- 2,266
11
votes
2
answers
577
views
Detected fraudulent charges to my account but I cannot close the card until another payment goes through
Today I detected two charges to my card, both on the same day. I called my bank (chase) but the only solution offered was to block and close the card. However, I am currently doing some processes ...
- 111
9
votes
2
answers
511
views
What can a customer do to reduce damage from a data breach?
A larger retailer admitted recently that hackers were able to steal credit and debit card data for about 40 million customers. Reports say that names, payment card numbers, expiration dates and ...
- 2,630
6
votes
1
answer
667
views
Is this a cashier check scam?
I'm a personal trainer and I've received an email stating that someone wants me to train their kids while they are in the US for vacation. The request was for many sessions and would total well over $...
- 61
6
votes
2
answers
2k
views
How to protect yourself from fraud when selling on eBay UK
I have my Mid-2013 MacBook Air up for sale on eBay, and have already had to go through resolution processes after previous auctions were won by obvious scammers (fake PayPal emails, etc.)
What I want ...
- 163
6
votes
1
answer
2k
views
How can Ponzi schemes be detected and legally prosecuted?
Out of curiosity:
How can Ponzi schemes be detected?
What are the conditions to be classified as a Ponzi scheme?
What are the legal means to prosecute such schemes?
A Ponzi scheme "operator" can ...
5
votes
1
answer
7k
views
Credit freezes aren't available in Canada. What options are available to protect against identity theft?
It looks like credit freezes aren't possible in Canada. Despite this, there is some evidence that identity theft is a bona fide problem in Canada:
RCMP states that in 2009 there were 11,095 identity ...
- 461
5
votes
1
answer
604
views
How to protect yourself from a fake security deposit check?
I am subletting my place to someone on craigslist for the first time. The potential tenant and I have a dilemma.
The tenant does not want to give me a check (with a security deposit and first months ...
5
votes
3
answers
1k
views
Stolen Check honored by bank (maybe after being cancelled). What should I do?
My daughter's checkbook was stolen last Saturday, she reported it to the bank Monday morning 10am and told them to cancel all the checks. She told the police earlier. We're in the USA.
Her account ...
- 153
4
votes
2
answers
7k
views
I received a seemingly legitimate welcome email for a bank account I did not open. What do I do?
I received an email which was apparently from Sun Trust Bank. It was welcoming me to their online services. I have not signed up for such services.
I looked at the following data and it appears ...
- 8,632
4
votes
2
answers
4k
views
Stock buyer and seller information, and abuse of anonymous markets?
Is it possible to know who offered/offers and who bought stock? If not, what prevents a group of people to buy and sell stocks between them to "fake" interest in that stock and pump up the price?
- 41
1
vote
3
answers
1k
views
Opening account for family in my name
Sibling of mine asked me to open an bank account for her in my name. She wants to fill it with her savings and use it on day-to-day basis with a debit card.
I have a strong feeling this could ...
user82506
1
vote
2
answers
1k
views
How can "can you hear me?" phone scammers attack me without any lines of credit?
I answered the phone to a very convincing voice that was breaking up, and the person asked "can you hear me"? Only after I said "yes" did I realize that it was either a very lifelike robot or a very ...
- 137
0
votes
1
answer
122
views
Does it matter how long an apartment is gifted to a child to cause any tax liability by the IRS?
If we choose to gift an apartment of ours to a child, can they gift it back to us in a few years without them and us having to owe any tax for any reason? If so, how much time is the minimum that the ...
- 468
0
votes
3
answers
139
views
Can a single file tax as "married file jointly" to take advantage of more standard deductions?
Can a single file tax as "married file jointly" to take advantage of double the standard deductions? Why or why not?
- 433