Caught onto a scam.

[cka_student]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Michigan

About a month ago I listed an item for sale on Facebook and was contacted by a person in Texas who wanted to make an immediate purchase of the item for $120. After trading emails, I send him my address and phone number so that he could send me a check. About a week later UPS delivered a check - only for $2500 and from a medical practice in Texas. I was confused and emailed him and he said to just deposit the check and then to send him the overages. I was incredibly dumb and deposited the check but I finally figured out his scam when he wanted me to mail the overage - less $20 for my "trouble" - to his secretary - in New Jersey.

I've been stringing him along while I filed a complaint with the IC3 reporting it. I know the ethical thing is to return the money to the company in Texas, but I'm not sure how to go about that, and I don't want to do anything that would leave me open to any fraud or felony issues. Plus, I'm not sure how exactly the company in Texas plays into this, if they even have anything to do with it, since the check was mailed from Tampa, FL.

So my question is, what is my liability here? and if I hold onto the money, am I a co-conspirator? Should I just wait to see if the IC3 decides to investigate?

Thanks.

 

[Some Random Guy]

The company in texas may not even exist and the check may not even be pulling money from their account. Talk to your bank about the check. You may be charged fees once the bank finally realizes the check is bad in 2-3 weeks.

 

[las365]

The company in texas may not even exist and the check may not even be pulling money from their account. Talk to your bank about the check. You may be charged fees once the bank finally realizes the check is bad in 2-3 weeks.

The check may also be stolen or forged on a valid account. Telling your bank is the smart thing to do.

This scam is all over the place. A similar thing happened to one of my employees recently when she listed something for sale on craigslist. Luckily, she told a co-worker about it before depositing the check (she's young and naive, but the co-worker set her straight).

 

[acmb05]

The check may also be stolen or forged on a valid account. Telling your bank is the smart thing to do.

This scam is all over the place. A similar thing happened to one of my employees recently when she listed something for sale on craigslist. Luckily, she told a co-worker about it before depositing the check (she's young and naive, but the co-worker set her straight).

This happened to me last year. I went to yellowpages.com and looked up the company in Texas. I then called the company and informed them why I was calling and asked them about the check.

These people are just picking companies out of the phone book then printng checks off their computer to mail to unsuspecting people. Your bank may or may not charge you the fee for a returned check after you explain the circumstances.

They usually use a large company because it takes longer for them to figure out the check is no good.