Posted: 6/26/2006 8:22:24 AM EDT
| My bro-in-law got a $2900 cashier's check from some bank in New Jersey called First Morris Bank & Trust. I checked on the web and this appears to be a legit business. The deal is that he enters online contests (spam emails maybe?) and he got this check with a letter saying that he has won $72,000 and this check is to pay the processing fees and whatnot. So whoever sent this check wants him to cash the check, and then send $2300 of it via a person to person moneygram to someone with my bro-in-law's same last name in Calgary, Alberta. This has GOT to be a scam! This stinks so bad it CANNOT be legit. Right? Any similar scams you guys are aware of? What is their angle on sending that cashier's check and having him cash it? What will they gain? Account numbers? I need to call him back. I've already told him not to do it, but wanted more info. |
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Your Brother in law cashes the fake check and sends the cash to someone who just happens to have the same last name. That name is also on the check. Your Brother in law gets busted for check fraud and the person that got the cash gets to spend it. That is the trick behind that scam. 
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No, it is totally legit. You win money for no reason, Cash a check, send cash to other party. YEP, sounds like the real deal. |
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Thanks guys. I knew I could count on you skeptics to bolster my skeptical (and common sense) opinion. BTW... the "company" that's running this "2nd chance lottery" is called Consumers Marketing Trust Group. Yeah... that sounds like a legitimate prize organization. 
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| The scam is that the check is bogus. He puts in into his account and then sends money off to the other person. Then in two weeks your brothers bank will come to him and explain that the check he deposited is a bad check and they are going to debit his accout for the money. Then he is out the money he sent to the other person. Never take checks, ever, not even cashiers checks. |
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www.secretservice.gov/alert419.shtml Print that out and give it to your buddy. |
