Beware of a New Email Scam
From the desk of Judith Pearson, Ph.D.
Executive Director for certification, NBCCH
Someone from overseas sent me an email saying he was traveling to the US on business and was interested in my services while here - that I had come highly recommended by a colleague here in Virginia. He asked for information about my services and fees, which I sent him. He then emailed that he would like to schedule my services and pay in advance for several sessions - an amount totalling $1200. I said it wasn't necessary that he pay in advance and I scheduled his first appointment for July. He wrote back saying that his "agent" in the US would be sending me the payment via money order.
Sure enough, I received money orders in the mail. But things looked fishy to me. 1) He said the agent was in Nevada, but the signature on the money order was from New York. The money orders were made out three months earlier in Burbank, CA; 2) The envelope had no return address. 3) The amount was $3000.
I emailed the man that I had received the payment, but it was more than we agreed on. He emailed back saying that it was a mistake. He advised me to take the money orders to my bank, deposit them and send his agent a check for the remainder: $1800. I suspected a scam so I looked it up on the Internet. It turns out this is a common scam involving fake money orders.
I called the Partners Federal Credit Union in Burbank, CA. that issued the money orders to verify if they were real. I spoke to a representative who said the numbers on the money orders did not conform to the Credit Union numbering format. She also told me to look for a watermark on the money orders and I did not see any. She told me they were fake.
I called my local FBI office and reported the scam. The agent I talked to said this a common scam involving business owners that offer services to the public. They receive an email from overseas - someone who wants to engage their services and pay in advance via money order. The scammer sends a money order for more than the amount agreed on. The money order is fake. The unsuspecting business owner deposits the money order and sends the reimbursement to a specified address. Later, the bank finds out the money order is a fake - but too late. The business owner is usually out anywhere from $500 to $2000.
The FBI agent told me to just tear up the money orders and ignore any additional emails. He also said that the parties involved will probably harass me by phone and email for a while, claiming I stole their money. He said don't bother with them and they will eventually leave me alone. He also said I should report it to my local police, in case the scammers threaten to file any charges of theft against me.
I'm glad I caught this one before I lost any money. If you care to do so, please circulate this story to your friends and colleagues.