Please Help

What is the name of your state? Illinois

I recieved a large check from an overseas invester to help with a construction project. The check was deposited into my Business account and was cleared 18 days later. I used the money to buy new equipment and to pay off my house and my truck.

The bank now tells me that the check is a forgery and that I have to pay the money back or they will file criminal charges against me, They have also threatened to take my home and vehicle because they say that I used the money to pay them off. I do not have the money to pay back the bank.
I have all the email and phone conversation with the investor but since I told him of my situation I have not heard from him nor been able to locate him.

1. can they charge me criminaly ?
2. can they take my home and car ?
3. Do I have any recourse ?

[I AM ALWAYS LIABLE]

Originally Posted by rjohnsoncrane

What is the name of your state? Illinois

I recieved a large check from an overseas invester to help with a construction project. The check was deposited into my Business account and was cleared 18 days later. I used the money to buy new equipment and to pay off my house and my truck.

The bank now tells me that the check is a forgery and that I have to pay the money back or they will file criminal charges against me, They have also threatened to take my home and vehicle because they say that I used the money to pay them off. I do not have the money to pay back the bank.
I have all the email and phone conversation with the investor but since I told him of my situation I have not heard from him nor been able to locate him.

1. can they charge me criminaly ?
2. can they take my home and car ?
3. Do I have any recourse ?

My response:

You were scammed. Let me guess - - someone on the Internet sent you the money needing to transfer funds due to some Government regulations in their country. Then they asked you to send some of the money to a third part and "let you keep the rest" for your "services". Let me further guess that this "investor" was from Nigeria - - right?

You'll now be losing everything you own, and you'll be getting three square meals a day at State expense.

What a dufus.

IAAL

[Dandy Don]

Was the overseas investor an individual or a business, and what city and country do they operate in?

Do you have a contract or other correspondence that would show you had dealings with this party about the construction project?

How much money are we talking here?

What is the annual income of your business?

Have you at any time purchased any type of liability insurance for your business?

At some point you will need to file charges or a complaint in the city/country where this investor lives. Immediately you should be hiring with a private investigator in the area where this investor lives, or at least getting information from his bank about whether he has other assets/monies available or as much information (address, business references, etc.) as the foreign bank has about this investor.

DANDY DON IN OKLAHOMA (tiekh@yahoo.com)

I am not interested in opinion since we all know what opinions are like. I just want to know what the law is in regards to my situation.

The investor is an individual from camaroon.

I DO have a signed contract with him he is to get a 29% of the profit after 2 years.

He was going to fund 3,000,000.00 but wanted to start with a smaller investment at first. So he sent a check for 450,000.00.

he then said he would fund the whole thing but in order to do that he would need 250,000.00 of that sent back to his portfolio manager so that he could make a urgent purchase. But that once he recieved it he would send the rest about a week later.

All I want to know is the fact as to these 3 questions not opinion.

1. can they charge me criminaly ?
2. can they take my home and car ?
3. Do I have any recourse ?

[Happy Trails]

Originally Posted by rjohnsoncrane

I am not interested in opinion since we all know what opinions are like. I just want to know what the law is in regards to my situation.

The investor is an individual from camaroon.

I DO have a signed contract with him he is to get a 29% of the profit after 2 years.

He was going to fund 3,000,000.00 but wanted to start with a smaller investment at first. So he sent a check for 450,000.00.

he then said he would fund the whole thing but in order to do that he would need 250,000.00 of that sent back to his portfolio manager so that he could make a urgent purchase. But that once he recieved it he would send the rest about a week later.

All I want to know is the fact as to these 3 questions not opinion.

1. can they charge me criminaly ?
2. can they take my home and car ?
3. Do I have any recourse ?

**Go back and read IAAL's post he nailed it; you have been scammed.

Then go up to the search button in this forum and type in 'nigeria'.

[john123456]

rjohnsoncrane:

Apparently the victims of these scams are being prosecuted.

[url]http://www.crimes-of-persuasion.com/Nigerian/victim_arrests.htm[/url]

[rmet4nzkx]

Here are some from last month, most were deleted
[url]http://forum.freeadvice.com/showthread.php?t=194005[/url]

[Happy Trails]

Originally Posted by john123456

rjohnsoncrane:

Apparently the victims of these scams are being prosecuted.

[url]http://www.crimes-of-persuasion.com/Nigerian/victim_arrests.htm[/url]

**Yes, that is what I was finding too.

[url]http://www.africanscams.com/[/url]

[url]http://www.internetscams.info/[/url]

[url]http://www.crimes-of-persuasion.com/Nigerian/nigerian_busts.htm[/url]

[url]http://www.unitedstates-investigators.org/statelaws.htm[/url]

**I hope he didn't send the $250,000 to the portfolio manager. If he did I hope he was able to stop payment. Most of the time these scammers ask for a money order. Then your screwed.

[I AM ALWAYS LIABLE]

My response:

Ah, yes. "Need" and "Greed" - - they'll get you every time.

And, speaking of "nailing it", PT Barnum's partner "nailed it" too when he said, "There's a sucker born every minute", or words to that effect.

Our writer is just another in a long, long, long line of suckers.

IAAL