Cheryl Baumgartner   Medical...
The Sept 2007 AARP Bulletin reported on a fairly "new" scam that people are getting caught with. People are receiving checks for supposed "winnings" in lotteries. The unexpected check shows up and gets cashed. You deposit the check and when it bounces guess who gets stuck holding the bag?

You should be suspicious of unsolicited checks from lotteries, overpayments from online auctions etc. AARP gave some tips we could all use so I though I would share them

1. Don't be fooled by the check's appearance. There are several warning signs. If you make a copy of a real check on a photocopy machine the word "VOID" will appear on the copy. The Bank routing number should appear in the lower left corner of the check and should 9 digits long the account number should immediately follow the routing number. If they are missing or the routing number is less than 9 digits the check is bogus.

2. Do an online search for the check issuer, make sure the company is real and the address is correct.

3. Examine the check for inaccuracies such as wrong zip code or misspelled street name in the issuer's address.

In addition to these tips let me add one of my own and an extra warning. First the tip, don't stop with the online search check them out through the Better Business Bureau. Now for the warning.

How many of you with a checking account have it set up so that you're cleared checks are mailed back to you? If the check you receive is set up to go back to the bogus company that sent it to you, they are now going to have quite a bit of information on you.
Your signature
Your account number
and the name and routing number name of your bank which means they have access to your account to go in and drain it.
Sep 9th 2007 14:01