Work At Home - The victim is offered the opportunity to make easy money by clearing checks for a business or charity, with the victim supposedly receiving a percentage of each check they clear. The victim deposits the checks and wires the money to the client, usually to a bank in Canada, Europe or Africa. The checks are later dishonored, and the victim's bank demands reimbursement.
Online Auctions and Classifieds - A person claiming to be an international buyer responds to an advertisement, offering to pay a premium price for the item being sold - often more than the asking price. They tell the seller that they will send a money order for the purchase price, plus an additional sum for the international shipment of the merchandise. The seller is asked to wire the shipping costs to a shipping company identified by the buyer. The money order is later dishonored, and the seller is out several thousand dollars.
Pleas for Help - In a variation of advance fee fraud, the victim receives a plea for help from somebody claiming to have money stuck in a foreign country that they cannot get out. They offer the victim a percentage of the money in return for clearing the check. After the victim deposits the check and wires the funds, the check is dishonored.
Please note that there are many variations on this scheme, and as one becomes known another version seems to develop. Any private individual who is offered payment by an international check or money order should suspect possible fraud.
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