banks fake check schemes

A new scam uses banks as unwitting accomplices to take consumers' money.

Avesjha Wilson said she posted her resume on Monster.com and was hired by a company called Recruit Med Inc. as a part-time data entry specialist.

"It wasn't anything about data entry. That was the tricky thing about it. Nothing to do with data entry," Wilson said.

Instead, Wilson said, Recruit Med Inc. instructed her to cash checks sent to her in the mail, take out a 6 percent commission, then send the rest of the money to a post office box in London. The first check was for $3,900.

"It was made out to me," Wilson said.

Wilson said it looked legitimate. It was drawn on a Wells Fargo bank account. She took it to the bank’s branch at 51st Street and Ames Avenue in Omaha and cashed it. Wilson said she is not a Wells Fargo customer, and she was surprised to be able to walk out with cash.

The check turned out to be fake.

For security and privacy reasons, Wells Fargo declined to comment on the case.

The Nebraska Department of Banking and Finance said it is surprised that the bank cashed the check. The banking department says most banks would hold a check for that amount until it could verify the transaction with the account holder.

As for consumers who may be tempted by this scheme, the Better Business Bureau’s Jim Hegarty warned that all similar offers are almost certainly scams. Hegarty said that by cashing the check, Wilson unintentionally participated in a crime.

"You are abetting the scammers in this endeavor," he said.

Wilson had already wired $3,600 to Recruit Med Inc. before she had second thoughts and went back to Western Union to stop the transaction. She could only get $1,000 back.

"Luckily, the bank was lenient with me, and I didn't get in big trouble for it," Wilson said.

She said she returned the $1,000 to the bank and learned a valuable lesson: If it's fast cash without an honest day's work, it's probably a scam.

"It's crazy," she said.

The Better Business Bureau said check fraud schemes are on the rise. If you have any questions about the legitimacy of a check you should contact the BBB or a banking official.