ScamVictimsUnited.com

they are a big old scam. My husband and I had no clue about this stuf. We researched all over the internet and saw nothing about the fact that they would actually send you a check. We asked the bank if it was real and they said it was and it was fine to cash. so we did and sent it in like real fools. Now of course right after we sent it I found this site and see its a common scam. We have called authorities but I dont think there is anyhting they can do.... we are out alot of money and it sucks so bad. I wish so much that I had seen a site like this before we sent it in. we thought it was really legit where they sent the check and all.

I am sorry to hear that you became a victim of this scam. Many of these scams start out by them approaching you with the subject of a lottery, but then they send you the bad check and you are in the same boat as the victims of the Counterfeit Cashier's Check Scam. (I would suggest reading those stories to learn how others have handled the situation with the bank regarding the check/money)

Also, write a letter/summary of what happened to you (you can view mine at http://scamvictimsunited.com/our_story.htm )

Then go to
http://scamvictimsunited.com/resources_ ... _check.htm
and send that letter to every place on that list. Make sure to contact the Attorney General's Office. We have gotten help from some of the contacts there, and my husband and I have done Press Conferences set up by Attorney Generals Offices, so feel free to mention this site and us.

I would also suggest sending that letter to the media to try and get even more attention to this scam and your case.

Also, under the announcement topic you will see that we are starting a letter writting campaign to try and bring more media attention to these scams. I have gotten calls from ABC and they are interested in doing a story on this at some point.

Send your letter to:
ABC News
7 West 66th Street
New York, NY 10023

Attn:Jennifer - Scam Story Enclosed

As for the bank, if you choose to fight them, get a really good lawyer. If you are in MN I can suggest one to you. Get the name of the person at the bank and see if before the bank knows that the check is bad someone there (the person you worked with) will give you something in writing, even just a signed print out of your account/statement that shows the transaction. If you have something in writing that they say the check was good, you might have a better case against them if you decide to fight this.

wow thank you so much for all of that.. I am going to print it out and follow everything you said. your the first person who has helped me in such great detail. Our only problem with the bank is it isnt our bank. It was the bank that the check was drawn off , I wish so much that the check had been drawn off some weird bank we didnt know because we would have sat on it a lot longer... we just kept thinking, well if they cash the check its okay.. I was a bank teller 6 years ago and thats how it worked back then but I guess things have changed.

Thanks again and I am so upset that we got taken... it really sucks.

That's what I am here for



Actually, the fact that you went to the bank the check was drawn off of is a GOOD THING! Now I REALLY think that if you have a good case against the bank!

With counterfeit cashier's checks, the victims are all told by their banks "If you wanted to verify that this was acctually a good check, you should have contacted the issuing bank before you deposited/cashed it" . . . that is their "out" . . . they don't have to take any responcibility for the bad check because they did not know it was bad until it went to the issuing bank. If you were AT the issuing bank, then they cannot "blame" anyone else . . . they had a counterfeit of one of their own checks in their hands and they could not even verify that it was good!

Plus, if you do not have an account with them they would have to either
1) sue you to get the money back, but they they would also have to admit that they could not tell their own check from a counterfeit one with their banks name on it.
2) they would have to press criminal charges against you claiming that YOU MADE the counterfeit check.

Has the bank contacted you at all about this yet? Do they have any contact information on you from the transaction?

hi, the only info they have is from my husbands drivers license because he had to show it when he cashed the check. The thing I wish my husband had done was to bring the whole letter we got in the mail and show it to the manager BUT like I said he called the bank, talked to the teller about the fact we REALLY wanted to verify this check.. BUT this is our word against theirs.. I mean I know they cashed a check off their own bank but still, I just wish I could go back in time.

hey
I just read your story. whatever ended up happening with your case against the bank? I can't believe they did that to you.

The bank settled out of court with us. That is why I said get a good lawyer and use the fact that they could not tell that a check with their own bank's info on it was counterfeit against them. I am SURE that they would not want that fact to get out to the media . . . I know if I banked there I would not feel safe knowing they cannot even spot a counterfeit check with their own bank's info on it!



So if they wanted to sue you they could find you, but like I said, then they would have to admit that they could not spot a counterfeit of one of their own checks.



We all do, trust me. But since we cannot go back we have to get ready for what may be a long and hard fight in front of us. If they contact you stand your ground and tell them that they cashed it, they should have verified it, and if they cannot even train their tellers to tell one of their own bank's checks from a counterfeit of their bank's checks then they have a HUGE training issue that they need to look into. If they say they are going to sue you for the money, tell them that you are going to go to the media with the entire story. You can even tell them that you are already working with a group that assists victims of these scams on a story with ABC news (if you are going to mail your story to the address I gave you, then that is true)

thank you again, I have a little hope now. I needed it. we have two small children and I feel like we just got robbed food out of their mouths - kwim?

I know EXACTLY what you mean.

When we got hit by the scam it was October 2002 and our kids were 2 and 9, and I remember thinking that it was a good thing I had already bought the Halloween candy and the costumes for the kids for that year. And then Christmas came up and we were actually out shopping for gifts for the kids when our lawyer called and was telling us that the bank wanted to settle out of court, and the 'details' of the settlement. Once we hung up the phone we knew we were going to be able to give the kids the kind of Christmas that we wanted!

We, as a group on the message board, have pulled together to do things to help out other vicitms, like doing "Secret Santa" where people who have been through this and are now finacially stable again will buy a couple of Christmas gifts for children of families who have just gotten hit by the scam.

I have also helped organize "clothing donations" for families with young children . . . baisically instead of any of sending our clothes to Goodwill, if they would fit a child in a family in need we would send them there. (By the way, my kids are just growing out of girls size 4/5 and boys size 10 clothes if that could help you)

I know that it is really hard to go through this with young children. It is hard enough for the adults to understand what is going on, so the little ones are just wondering why everyone seems so "stressed out".

If there is anything that we, as a group, could try to do to help you please do not be afraid to ask.

wow you are really nice. I have seen some other sites and they pretty much call the other people that fall for the scams names, that is just horrible. I thought they were there to help others... DO you know if the bank will make us pay it all back at once if we do have to pay it back?