How to Spot a Fake Check Sent Through Email

Fake check scams pose a financial threat, especially when originating via email. These schemes leverage deceptive tactics, leading victims to believe they received legitimate funds, only to discover the checks are counterfeit after sending their own money to scammers. Banks typically hold individuals responsible for funds withdrawn from a fraudulent check. Understanding these scams is important for protecting personal finances.

Identifying Fake Check Features

Counterfeit checks often possess visual and physical characteristics distinguishing them from authentic instruments. Paper quality can be a primary indicator; legitimate checks are typically printed on higher-quality, heavier paper with a textured feel, unlike the thinner, smoother paper often used for fakes. Print quality can also reveal discrepancies like blurry logos, inconsistent fonts, or misaligned text, indicating amateur printing rather than professional bank-grade production. However, advanced graphics and printing technologies allow scammers to create highly realistic counterfeit checks, making detection challenging for consumers and some bank employees.

Scrutiny of check details can uncover fraudulent elements. Inaccurate bank names or addresses, or those not matching the bank’s actual location, are red flags. Missing or incorrect routing and account numbers, especially if not aligning with standard banking formats, indicate a likely forgery. Suspicious check numbers, such as unusually low for an established business or out of sequence, also warrant investigation. Irregular signatures, including mechanically reproduced, inconsistent, or mismatched to the issuer’s usual signing style, can be another sign of a fake.

Recognizing Email Scam Indicators

The email communication accompanying a fake check often contains red flags. Unsolicited offers are a common tactic, where the sender proposes lottery winnings, overpayment for items, or secret shopper jobs, without prior interaction. These offers often include language creating urgency or pressure, pushing the recipient to act quickly before verification. Scammers might claim funds need to be sent back immediately.

Poor grammar, spelling errors, and awkward phrasing are common in scam emails, often from non-native English speakers or careless individuals. Generic greetings, such as “Dear Customer” instead of a personalized salutation, suggest a mass phishing attempt. Requests for personal information, beyond what is necessary for a transaction, are also suspicious. Instructions to “send back” money quickly, especially through unconventional methods like wire transfers, gift cards, or payment apps, indicate a scam.

Steps for Verifying a Check

Before attempting to deposit or cash any suspicious check, proactive verification is important. Contact the issuing bank directly, using a verified phone number from the bank’s official website or a reputable directory, not one provided in the suspicious email or on the check. This confirms the check’s validity and if the account has sufficient funds.

Verifying the check issuer’s contact information independently is another measure. If the check purports to be from a company or individual, research and contact them directly online to confirm check issuance. Understanding bank policies regarding check holds is also important. Federal law requires banks to make deposited funds available quickly, but this does not mean the check has fully cleared. Banks may take days or weeks to discover a fraudulent check, and the depositor is responsible for any funds withdrawn against it.

Reporting Fake Checks

If you identify or confirm receipt of a fake check, do not attempt to cash or deposit it. Depositing a fraudulent check can lead to financial loss, as your bank will hold you responsible once the check is identified as fake. Instead, the incident should be reported to relevant authorities to prevent others from falling victim.

Report to federal agencies. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) accepts fraud reports at reportfraud.ftc.gov. The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) is another avenue for reporting online scams, including fake checks. If received via mail, also contact the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS). Keep detailed records of all communication, including the suspicious email and the fake check, as evidence.