A fake-check scam gives you a check that looks legitimate, then creates a reason for you to send part of the money elsewhere. The story may involve a job, mystery shopping assignment, prize, marketplace overpayment, or payment to a vendor.
The trap depends on bank timing. Funds may appear in your account before the bank determines that the check is fake. If you send gift cards, a wire, cryptocurrency, or another payment first, the bank can later remove the check amount while the money you sent remains gone.
How the scam works
1
A check arrives with a story
A new employer, buyer, prize promoter, or stranger sends a paper or electronic check, often before any real relationship exists.
2
The amount creates extra money
The check includes funds for equipment, supplies, taxes, an installer, a third party, or an accidental overpayment.
3
Your bank shows available funds
Bank availability rules can make the balance visible before the check has been fully verified.
4
You send real money out
The scammer directs you to wire money, buy gift cards, transfer cryptocurrency, or refund the difference. Later, the bank identifies the fake check and removes its value.
Red flags to watch for
!
A check from someone you do not know
Do not rely on a check unless you know and trust the person or organization that issued it.
!
Deposit and send some onward
A request to keep part and pay the rest to a vendor, installer, employer, buyer, or prize office is the defining fake-check pattern.
!
An overpayment needs a refund
Do not accept a check above the agreed price. A rushed request to return the difference shifts the loss to you.
!
Gift cards, wires, or crypto after deposit
These payment methods turn the temporary bank balance into a separate transfer that may be difficult to recover.
!
A screenshot or visible balance as proof
A realistic check and available funds do not establish that the underlying check is valid.
What to do
✓
Do not spend or forward the funds
If the check is still pending or available in your account, leave the money untouched and contact your bank's fraud department.
✓
Tell the bank immediately
Explain that you may have deposited a fake check. Ask what will happen to the deposit and what steps are needed to protect the account.
✓
Contact the service you paid through
If you sent money, report fraud immediately to the gift-card issuer, wire company, payment app, cryptocurrency service, money-order issuer, or other provider and ask whether it can stop the transaction.
✓
Preserve the check and instructions
Keep the envelope, check image, emails, texts, job post, shipping information, and payment receipts for the bank and investigators.
✓
Report the scam
File a report at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and notify the U.S. Postal Inspection Service if the check or related payment traveled through U.S. mail.
Frequently asked questions
The funds are available in my account. Did the check clear?
Not necessarily. Banks can make funds available before discovering that a check is fake. Do not send money based on the displayed balance; speak with your bank about the check.
Can a cashier's check or electronic check be fake?
Yes. The FTC warns that fake checks can imitate business checks, personal checks, cashier's checks, money orders, and checks delivered electronically.
What if I already sent the extra money?
Contact your bank and the company used for the outgoing payment immediately, report the fraud, and ask whether the transfer can be stopped. Preserve records and report the scheme to the FTC.
Sources and further help
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