'Clever' Fake Check Scam Hits Hudson Valley

Officials in the Hudson Valley are warning residents about clever scams designed to steal your money.

On Thursday, the Ulster County District Attorney's Office warned residents about an ongoing fake check scam that's impacting the region.

There are many variations of the fake check scam, according to the Ulster County District Attorney’s Division of Consumer Affairs. It could start with someone offering to buy something you advertised, pay you to do work at home, give you an “advance” on a sweepstakes you’ve supposedly won, or pay the first installment on the millions that you’ll receive for agreeing to have money in a foreign country transferred to your bank account for safekeeping.

In a press release, the Ulster County District Attorney’s Division of Consumer Affairs called the schemes "clever" ploys designed to steal your hard-earned money.

You can avoid becoming a victim by recognizing how the scam works and understanding your responsibility for the checks that you deposit in your account by taking the following steps:

The checks are fake but they look real (the companies whose names appear may be real, but the checks have been dummied up without their knowledge);
It can take weeks for the forgery to be discovered and the check to bounce. You are responsible for the checks you deposit;
There is no legitimate reason for someone who is giving you money to ask you to wire money back (this is the check overpayment scam).

Subscribe to the Hudson Valley Post’s Newsletter

In April, a Hudson Valley man was sentenced for running a nearly $1 million dollar fake check scheme.

‘Clever’ Fake Check Scam Hits Hudson Valley