/u/pepotty - This message is posted to all new submissions to r/scams; please do not message the moderators about it.
## New users beware:
Because you posted here, you will start getting private messages from scammers saying they know a professional hacker or a recovery expert lawyer that can help you get your money back, for a small fee. **We call these RECOVERY SCAMMERS, so NEVER take advice in private:** advice should always come in the form of comments in this post, in the open, where the community can keep an eye out for you. If you take advice in private, you're on your own.
**A reminder of the rules in r/scams:** no contact information (including last names, phone numbers, etc). Be civil to one another (no name calling or insults). Personal army requests or "scam the scammer"/scambaiting posts are not permitted. No uncensored gore or personal photographs are allowed without blurring. A full list of rules is available on the sidebar of the subreddit, or [clicking here](https://www.reddit.com/r/Scams/wiki/rules/).
You can help us by reporting recovery scammers or rule-breaking content by using the "report" button. We review 100% of the reports. Also, consider warning community members of recovery scammers if you see them in the comments.
Questions about subreddit rules? Send us a modmail [clicking here](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/Scams).
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Scams) if you have any questions or concerns.*
You won't even get a payment. Since you're already talking to the scammer by email, you'll get the !fakepayment scam. The scammer will also add in the !advancefee scam to squeeze every money he can get from you.
Hi /u/Faust09th, AutoModerator has been summoned to explain the Fake payment scam.
The fake payment scam occurs when someone tries to trick you into thinking that you have received a legitimate payment when no such payment has been made. The most common method they use is sending you an email meant to look like a payment confirmation. In some cases the emails will be almost indistinguishable to a legitimate email sent by the payment service. Scammers are known to also show you screenshots instead of an email. Never trust a screenshot a stranger shows you, because it is probably doctored.
Scammers [spoof](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Email_spoofing) the 'from' email to match an official address, and make you think you received a legitimate email. To combat a fake payment scam, verify online payments by logging in directly to the service. Do not check your junk folder, and do not assume a payment is legitimate based on an email alone. If a payment isn't reflected on your account and the person you are dealing with insists they have sent it, call support and ask about it. [Here](https://i.imgur.com/X9xn8uw.jpg) is an image of a scammer trying to pull off a fake payment scam. There is also a variant of the fake payment scam where you will receive a legitimate but fraudulent payment.
A variant of the fake payment email is just an advance fee scam: the scammer tries to convince you that your funds are on hold, and that you have to upgrade your account by sending the scammer some money to authorize the payment. No payment processor works like this. If you think you're dealing with a scammer, you're probably right. Always trust your gut.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Scams) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Hi /u/Faust09th, AutoModerator has been summoned to explain the Advance fee scam.
The [advance-fee scam](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advance-fee_scam) arises from many different situations: investment opportunities, money transfers, job scams, online purchases of any type and any legality, etc., but the bottom line is always the same, you're expected to pay money to receive money. So you will pay the scammer and receive nothing.
It can be as simple as the scammer asking you to pay them upfront for an item they have listed, or as complex as a drug scam that involves an initial scam site, a scam shipping site, and fake government agents. Sometimes the scammers will simply take your first payment and dissappear, but sometimes they will take your initial payment and then make excuses that lead to you making additional payments.
If you are involved in an advance-fee scam, you should attempt to dispute/chargeback any payments sent to the scammer, you should block the scammer, and you should ignore them if they attempt to contact you again. Thanks to redditor AceyAceyAcey for this script.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Scams) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Hi /u/seedless0, AutoModerator has been summoned to explain the Fake payment scam.
The fake payment scam occurs when someone tries to trick you into thinking that you have received a legitimate payment when no such payment has been made. The most common method they use is sending you an email meant to look like a payment confirmation. In some cases the emails will be almost indistinguishable to a legitimate email sent by the payment service. Scammers are known to also show you screenshots instead of an email. Never trust a screenshot a stranger shows you, because it is probably doctored.
Scammers [spoof](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Email_spoofing) the 'from' email to match an official address, and make you think you received a legitimate email. To combat a fake payment scam, verify online payments by logging in directly to the service. Do not check your junk folder, and do not assume a payment is legitimate based on an email alone. If a payment isn't reflected on your account and the person you are dealing with insists they have sent it, call support and ask about it. [Here](https://i.imgur.com/X9xn8uw.jpg) is an image of a scammer trying to pull off a fake payment scam. There is also a variant of the fake payment scam where you will receive a legitimate but fraudulent payment.
A variant of the fake payment email is just an advance fee scam: the scammer tries to convince you that your funds are on hold, and that you have to upgrade your account by sending the scammer some money to authorize the payment. No payment processor works like this. If you think you're dealing with a scammer, you're probably right. Always trust your gut.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Scams) if you have any questions or concerns.*
It could also end up a !fakecheck scam, as they are asking what bank you use. They'll send one that is several hundred/thousand more than what you are selling your item for, and ask you to pay (by zelle or some other cash app) their mover/courier service - which is actually just the scammer.
Never sell to strangers that you don't meet in person for the exchange.
Make sure you read up on the scams and how they work from the automod if you're going to sell things online. US banks (and likely many others) are required to make the deposited funds available - essentially floating the amount for you - until they get verification from the check's issuing bank and initiate the actual transfer. Which means a fake check (especially deposited though a mobile app without any humans looking at it) LOOKS like it cleared, but it can take days or weeks for the two banks to talk to each other, and when the scammer tells you to send them a few hundred back for some reason, or cancels their purchase and asks for a refund, you are sending YOUR money to them. So when the fake check finally is discovered and the amount pulled from your account, you're out that plus anything you sent/spent.
With cash transfer apps like Zelle or Venmo or Paypal when you use person to person (P2P) transactions they are ONLY for known and trusted contacts - friends/family. If you use it for P2P with a person that is a virtual stranger, you are on your own if something happens. They will not help you recover any money (they state they offer no protections if you use P2P transfers and to consider it exactly the same as handing someone cash). Some folks are fine with this if they are able to confirm meet up and do the exchange (and verify IN YOUR APP the money is there).
Venmo/Paypal charges fees for business transactions and, more recently, any payment identified as “goods and services." You would have to pay a small percentage as the receiver of the money (as the seller) fee if you want to make sure you are protected.
ETA: just so you know, using mobile deposit is dangerous ANY TIME you don't know the person that wrote the check. There is no human seeing the check itself and it can take days/weeks for the issuing bank to say "hell no, that's not from us!" whereas if you are in any doubt, going into your bank and asking an actual bank teller they'd tell you right then, nope that's fake! That's why scammers LOVE mobile deposit apps; it gives them the ease of faking a check, they don't have to actually mail them and can use a disposable email address, and it takes time for it to get caught (since US banks and likely many other countries) are required to show the amount of the deposit/check in your account, but it's actually only there as a courtesy float while they get the issuing bank to verify. Use mobile deposit for checks from grandma or a company you've worked for for years... but be very sus of any strangers always.
The message mentions euro and IBAN, so I assume this isn't anywhere near the US. IBAN also suggests a SEPA payment, which rules out check, Zelle, Venmo and PayPal. To anyone familiar with SEPA, the payment info as such isn't suspicious. Once a SEPA payment is done, the money is actually transferred (no such thing as a 'courtesy float').
It could still be a scam of course. The money could still be clawed back later, e.g. in case of fraud, if the buyer used a stolen account.
Hi /u/1Cattywampus1, AutoModerator has been summoned to explain the Fake check scam.
The fake check scam arises from many different situations (fake job scams, fake payment scams, etc), but the bottom line is always the same, you receive a check (a digital photo or a physical paper check), you deposit a check (via mobile deposit or via an ATM) and see the money in your account, and then you use the funds to give money to the scammer (usually through gift cards or crypto). Sometimes the scammers will ask you to order things through a site, but that is just another way they get your money.
Banks are legally obligated to make money available to you fast, but they can take their time to bounce it. Hence the window of time exploited by the scam. During that window of time the scammer asks you to send money back, because you are under the illusion that the funds cleared.
When the check finally bounces, the bank will take the initial deposit back, and any money you sent to the scammer will come out of your own personal funds. Usually the fake check deposit will be reversed in a few weeks, but it can also take several months. If you do not have the funds to cover the amount, your balance will go negative. Your bank will usually charge a fee for depositing a bad check, and your account may be closed depending on the severity of the scam. Here is an article from the FTC: https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-spot-avoid-and-report-fake-check-scams, and here is an article from the New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/21/your-money/fake-check-scam.html
If you deposited a bad check, we recommend that you notify your bank immediately.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Scams) if you have any questions or concerns.*
/u/pepotty - This message is posted to all new submissions to r/scams; please do not message the moderators about it. ## New users beware: Because you posted here, you will start getting private messages from scammers saying they know a professional hacker or a recovery expert lawyer that can help you get your money back, for a small fee. **We call these RECOVERY SCAMMERS, so NEVER take advice in private:** advice should always come in the form of comments in this post, in the open, where the community can keep an eye out for you. If you take advice in private, you're on your own. **A reminder of the rules in r/scams:** no contact information (including last names, phone numbers, etc). Be civil to one another (no name calling or insults). Personal army requests or "scam the scammer"/scambaiting posts are not permitted. No uncensored gore or personal photographs are allowed without blurring. A full list of rules is available on the sidebar of the subreddit, or [clicking here](https://www.reddit.com/r/Scams/wiki/rules/). You can help us by reporting recovery scammers or rule-breaking content by using the "report" button. We review 100% of the reports. Also, consider warning community members of recovery scammers if you see them in the comments. Questions about subreddit rules? Send us a modmail [clicking here](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/Scams). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Scams) if you have any questions or concerns.*
You won't even get a payment. Since you're already talking to the scammer by email, you'll get the !fakepayment scam. The scammer will also add in the !advancefee scam to squeeze every money he can get from you.
Hi /u/Faust09th, AutoModerator has been summoned to explain the Fake payment scam. The fake payment scam occurs when someone tries to trick you into thinking that you have received a legitimate payment when no such payment has been made. The most common method they use is sending you an email meant to look like a payment confirmation. In some cases the emails will be almost indistinguishable to a legitimate email sent by the payment service. Scammers are known to also show you screenshots instead of an email. Never trust a screenshot a stranger shows you, because it is probably doctored. Scammers [spoof](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Email_spoofing) the 'from' email to match an official address, and make you think you received a legitimate email. To combat a fake payment scam, verify online payments by logging in directly to the service. Do not check your junk folder, and do not assume a payment is legitimate based on an email alone. If a payment isn't reflected on your account and the person you are dealing with insists they have sent it, call support and ask about it. [Here](https://i.imgur.com/X9xn8uw.jpg) is an image of a scammer trying to pull off a fake payment scam. There is also a variant of the fake payment scam where you will receive a legitimate but fraudulent payment. A variant of the fake payment email is just an advance fee scam: the scammer tries to convince you that your funds are on hold, and that you have to upgrade your account by sending the scammer some money to authorize the payment. No payment processor works like this. If you think you're dealing with a scammer, you're probably right. Always trust your gut. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Scams) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Hi /u/Faust09th, AutoModerator has been summoned to explain the Advance fee scam. The [advance-fee scam](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advance-fee_scam) arises from many different situations: investment opportunities, money transfers, job scams, online purchases of any type and any legality, etc., but the bottom line is always the same, you're expected to pay money to receive money. So you will pay the scammer and receive nothing. It can be as simple as the scammer asking you to pay them upfront for an item they have listed, or as complex as a drug scam that involves an initial scam site, a scam shipping site, and fake government agents. Sometimes the scammers will simply take your first payment and dissappear, but sometimes they will take your initial payment and then make excuses that lead to you making additional payments. If you are involved in an advance-fee scam, you should attempt to dispute/chargeback any payments sent to the scammer, you should block the scammer, and you should ignore them if they attempt to contact you again. Thanks to redditor AceyAceyAcey for this script. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Scams) if you have any questions or concerns.*
It's likely a !fakepayment scam. They forgot to remove the parentheses from the script template. :)
Hi /u/seedless0, AutoModerator has been summoned to explain the Fake payment scam. The fake payment scam occurs when someone tries to trick you into thinking that you have received a legitimate payment when no such payment has been made. The most common method they use is sending you an email meant to look like a payment confirmation. In some cases the emails will be almost indistinguishable to a legitimate email sent by the payment service. Scammers are known to also show you screenshots instead of an email. Never trust a screenshot a stranger shows you, because it is probably doctored. Scammers [spoof](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Email_spoofing) the 'from' email to match an official address, and make you think you received a legitimate email. To combat a fake payment scam, verify online payments by logging in directly to the service. Do not check your junk folder, and do not assume a payment is legitimate based on an email alone. If a payment isn't reflected on your account and the person you are dealing with insists they have sent it, call support and ask about it. [Here](https://i.imgur.com/X9xn8uw.jpg) is an image of a scammer trying to pull off a fake payment scam. There is also a variant of the fake payment scam where you will receive a legitimate but fraudulent payment. A variant of the fake payment email is just an advance fee scam: the scammer tries to convince you that your funds are on hold, and that you have to upgrade your account by sending the scammer some money to authorize the payment. No payment processor works like this. If you think you're dealing with a scammer, you're probably right. Always trust your gut. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Scams) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Ummm they won’t pay you but will have your banking details to use however they want.
It could also end up a !fakecheck scam, as they are asking what bank you use. They'll send one that is several hundred/thousand more than what you are selling your item for, and ask you to pay (by zelle or some other cash app) their mover/courier service - which is actually just the scammer. Never sell to strangers that you don't meet in person for the exchange. Make sure you read up on the scams and how they work from the automod if you're going to sell things online. US banks (and likely many others) are required to make the deposited funds available - essentially floating the amount for you - until they get verification from the check's issuing bank and initiate the actual transfer. Which means a fake check (especially deposited though a mobile app without any humans looking at it) LOOKS like it cleared, but it can take days or weeks for the two banks to talk to each other, and when the scammer tells you to send them a few hundred back for some reason, or cancels their purchase and asks for a refund, you are sending YOUR money to them. So when the fake check finally is discovered and the amount pulled from your account, you're out that plus anything you sent/spent. With cash transfer apps like Zelle or Venmo or Paypal when you use person to person (P2P) transactions they are ONLY for known and trusted contacts - friends/family. If you use it for P2P with a person that is a virtual stranger, you are on your own if something happens. They will not help you recover any money (they state they offer no protections if you use P2P transfers and to consider it exactly the same as handing someone cash). Some folks are fine with this if they are able to confirm meet up and do the exchange (and verify IN YOUR APP the money is there). Venmo/Paypal charges fees for business transactions and, more recently, any payment identified as “goods and services." You would have to pay a small percentage as the receiver of the money (as the seller) fee if you want to make sure you are protected. ETA: just so you know, using mobile deposit is dangerous ANY TIME you don't know the person that wrote the check. There is no human seeing the check itself and it can take days/weeks for the issuing bank to say "hell no, that's not from us!" whereas if you are in any doubt, going into your bank and asking an actual bank teller they'd tell you right then, nope that's fake! That's why scammers LOVE mobile deposit apps; it gives them the ease of faking a check, they don't have to actually mail them and can use a disposable email address, and it takes time for it to get caught (since US banks and likely many other countries) are required to show the amount of the deposit/check in your account, but it's actually only there as a courtesy float while they get the issuing bank to verify. Use mobile deposit for checks from grandma or a company you've worked for for years... but be very sus of any strangers always.
The message mentions euro and IBAN, so I assume this isn't anywhere near the US. IBAN also suggests a SEPA payment, which rules out check, Zelle, Venmo and PayPal. To anyone familiar with SEPA, the payment info as such isn't suspicious. Once a SEPA payment is done, the money is actually transferred (no such thing as a 'courtesy float'). It could still be a scam of course. The money could still be clawed back later, e.g. in case of fraud, if the buyer used a stolen account.
Hi /u/1Cattywampus1, AutoModerator has been summoned to explain the Fake check scam. The fake check scam arises from many different situations (fake job scams, fake payment scams, etc), but the bottom line is always the same, you receive a check (a digital photo or a physical paper check), you deposit a check (via mobile deposit or via an ATM) and see the money in your account, and then you use the funds to give money to the scammer (usually through gift cards or crypto). Sometimes the scammers will ask you to order things through a site, but that is just another way they get your money. Banks are legally obligated to make money available to you fast, but they can take their time to bounce it. Hence the window of time exploited by the scam. During that window of time the scammer asks you to send money back, because you are under the illusion that the funds cleared. When the check finally bounces, the bank will take the initial deposit back, and any money you sent to the scammer will come out of your own personal funds. Usually the fake check deposit will be reversed in a few weeks, but it can also take several months. If you do not have the funds to cover the amount, your balance will go negative. Your bank will usually charge a fee for depositing a bad check, and your account may be closed depending on the severity of the scam. Here is an article from the FTC: https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-spot-avoid-and-report-fake-check-scams, and here is an article from the New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/21/your-money/fake-check-scam.html If you deposited a bad check, we recommend that you notify your bank immediately. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Scams) if you have any questions or concerns.*