ScamVictimsUnited.com

As a single mom I look for various ways to save money. One way I recently started doing this is having tattoo parties (like tuppereware parties, but with tattoos) when my son is not home. For drumming up a certain amount of business my tattoos are free. Anyway my last party, I let my judgement slip. I stopped at a corner store and was talking to a man in line and mentioned my party, he expressed an interest in getting one done, so I let him come back with me with the thought that he would be first to get done and get him out, while friends were there. So we made small talk, told him I would be starting school again in the fall, needed to save for a new computer. He mentioned his wife and child, was very vague on his job, but said he was in human resources. Anyway he got his tattoo done (a sleeve (not finished) if you wanted to know) I verified he paid my tattoo guy, then walked him out to where he parked his suv. While walking him he started telling me how sexy he found me, basically hitting on me and wanting to make me the other woman. Well he kept asking for my number so I gave him a fake, and he handed me 4 $100 Amex Gift Cheques and a Postal MO for $940.50 and his number. I tossed his number but figured who was I to turn down free money, and if this guy came back to my house again, the guy I am dating would let him know not to come back. Now, my bank is in another county and I have no vehicle so I just gave the MO to my rental office thinking I never get this lucky. Duh I know hindsight. Anyhow, my tattoo guy calls me up and tells me he put the money orders (he got 2 same amounts) in his bank and that they said they were counterfeit and they were turing them over to the CIA (his words I know now who investigates this kinda thing). At that moment I felt sick. I had spent the amex cheques, and turned in and was credited for the MO through the property management company. Now I am not a total moran, I checked both of these documents out. Thery had the water mark and the security strip, so I am at a loss. I am very scared and really dont know what to do now. Go to prop manager, postal inspector. I dont have much info on this guy, and he has not come back here while I was home. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

You need to go to the local PD and file a report, as sad as it is, give them a description on your "friend" what he told you and what he was driving. This will help you when the people you have given the counterfeits to decide they are going to file on you for distributing counterfeits. If you really met him in a store they will be able to get video form there. They will have an image of him, and his physical description you provide.

It will be up to you how to describe the incident and why he gave you the counterfeits.............there, that is what you should do. I was an investigator for years in LE, now I do white collar investigations for a bank, your story is very weak, there has to be more to it.

Should the Tat man file at the same PD as me we are in different counties, does it matter? Thank you for your answer I appreciate your frankness.

He needs to file in the county/city that the transaction took place.

when presented a situation such as this, the best thing to do to verify the amount is to call the company directly. They can state whether the money order has been cashed some time before and if its fake! Common sense would tell me to do that rather than check for some watermark - anything is easily counterfeited these days!

for more information to protect yourself from these types of scams and any scams involving MONEYGRAM go to this website! Educate yourself and protect yourself!

http://www.moneygram.com/ConsumerProtec ... C=US&LC=EN

Verifying a check or money order goes deeper than that , here is a link for information that everyone reading this forum should get familiar with.

http://www.fraudaid.com/check_liability.htm