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The font is not hand written and you can clearly see the background is lighter, so they have added all the info on top of the original one.
This is a very common scam on marketplace. “I am ok with full price without any fuss, here is a digital cheque and I cannot pick it up but will get someone to do it for me”
Report, block and ignore.
This is definitely a scam but I’ve seen that “exactly” before on occasion, sometimes on printed checks. Used to see it more often years ago when checks were more common.
Usually people would put it after the dollar amount as another way to indicate zero cents. “One hundred dollars exactly ———.” I guess supposedly so some joker doesn’t add an extra 99/100 on the end, but that seems like an unlikely occurrence either way. Although I suppose with enough room on the left someone could maybe change “fifty” to “two hundred fifty,” so writing “exactly” or “only” helps prevent that.
Possibly putting it before is for the same reason, but it might just be one of those things people did because they saw someone else do it or people thought it was supposed to help prevent some weird fraud loophole that way.
Like when people used to write “check for id” instead of signing the back of their credit card even though the card companies said that’s invalid.
And that's why I always write that line as: "$blahblah blah xx/100~~~~~~~~~~"
Lol
ETA: I'm old enough to still write cheques occasionally. But NEVER in line or at a grocery store!!! Lol
I had to rewrite a cheque 2 or 3 times in a large department store once.🤦🏻♂️ A long queue was beginning to form which didn’t help and resulted in the checkout lady saying “he’s done it again” At my request, she wrote the next which I signed, made my excuses and left😂😂 As a lad in my late teens,I crumbled that day 🤷🏻♂️🤷🏻♂️
Same here. I have never ever ever ever seen anyone write that on a check. Might be regional I guess, I’m southwest US, but I have never seen this except as you mentioned on junk mail that goes straight to trash.
I’ve seen plenty of people use checks. I will very rarely still do it myself when there is for some reason no other choice. But I’ve never ever ever ever seen someone write the word “exactly” on it.
Lots of people in the before times . There was a time you'd send a check and it could be cashed for diffrent amounts. My first car loan I got a check that was " up to " 15k . I ended up spending 14kish
Banks. Here's an example on a likely real Scotia Bank draft https://www.facebook.com/bubobcats/posts/the-bobcats-proudly-accepted-4542-through-scotiabanks-bright-future-program-on-f/1051521784894400/
It’s a cashier’s cheque (typically called bank drafts in Canada). They almost always write “exactly” before the dollar amount. I just processed dozens of these at my non-profit. Every single one was fully printed by what looks like a dot matrix printer because it is a cheque from the bank.
[Here is an image of a real one.](https://images.app.goo.gl/GQWw3PcavibaMWXn6)
All bank drafts that I've seen use Exactly. They also are printed, not handwritten. The attempt to fake handwriting is a red flag (the whole thing is wholesale red flags).
I recently had someone reach out for me to design a wedding invitation. There was constant reaching out, “how’s it going” and at the end there was zero changes which is rare in my industry. They told me they could only do an e check and had specific instructions. At that point had reached the red flag allotment and knew it was a scam. Just have to look closely to all the little things. They add up.
Absolutely a scam, never accept checks from strangers unless they go to the bank with you in-person and have the check issued to you in person by the bank.
To further clarify, I'm talking about a certified check/bank draft, which is why I said "have the check issued to you in person by the bank (buyer's bank)". In this case, the bank verifies that there is enough money to make the check, then the money is withdrawn from the account at the time of issuing and directly put into the check.
This is 100% safe for large amount private transactions such as a car, a property etc.
Good because most facebook marketplace interactions are like “do in front of your local police station” because of how likely it is someone is going to try and scam you
doing that is entirely safe, and cash is not suitable in all situations especially for super expensive stuff that goes up to tens of thousands.
as long as the check/draft is issued in front of you in a bank, it's safe.
Yes. Etransfer is the way I go. But from what I gather in the US this isn’t common? I always seem people using cash app or zelle or stuff like this which in turn I always seem scams about them.
Yeah this is Canada, so there's no real reason to use a cheque in this situation - use Interac e-transfer. The U.S. AFAIK has no such centralized system, but a third party app called Venmo can facilitate account-to-account transfers.
Hi /u/xcaliblur2, 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.
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It is against the Terms and Conditions to take a picture of a picture for a mobile cheque deposit.
Also that couldn’t be more fake if it said fake on it.
Your banking agreement. Every Canadian bank has that in their terms, which in turn is based on the legal regulation of what an "official image" of a cheque is.
While an image of an image **is** allowed under the regulations, the key issue is that the **first**, original image taken from the paper item must be done by an agent of the bank. That can be you, as its customer, but it cannot be some rando on the internet.
That is not the current Scotiabank logo. If it’s real it’s quite old.
Edit:
You can see their current logo on their site:
https://www.scotiabank.com/ca/en/personal.html
Update:
https://preview.redd.it/jkvxi0d64vtc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0924b9465fae399612f64dbe4e1da7306cbdfce4
Guys it's official, hes the real deal!
Edit: wrote "Update"
Edit 2: Reported him and now his marketplace account doesnt exist anymore hahaha
>Now his marketplace account doesn’t exist anymore
Good, especially because that account was probably not his to begin with. People take over Facebook accounts for the express reason of scamming people on marketplace; It’s a known issue and Facebook doesn’t care.
So you completed the transaction?? Why don't you close this discussion where you asked the community to help you out? Glad everything worked out for you. Let us know in 3-7 business days, LOL
i\`m not familiar with checks - we use a modern banking system - but the numbers and amount look photoshopped in. See the slighter lighter background there on the front.
And the reply you gave 'he\`s not picking it up himself' is a classic script for scammers.
In person, cash only.
Yeah, everything about our interaction was super pressing, like he was in a hurry to buy it which put me on alert immediately... I'm glad I took notice and decided to ask this community. You guys are so helpful, thank you so much!
- The "handwriting" is just a font
- That's an old Scotia logo
- That's a bank draft ("cashier's check" in US terms), not a regular cheque, why?
- The back is all wrong. There's no verification phrase like "BACK/VERSO" and no endorsement line.
- The line "This is watermarked paper and contain invisible fibres" is ungrammatical (should be "contains") and just strangely worded. It would say something like "This document is printed on watermaked paper" etc.
- Let me guess, he sent you just a picture? It's against your account agreement to mobile deposit a picture of a picture.
A quick Google image search for “Scotiabank draft” also gives you this, which I’m guessing is the same image used.
https://preview.redd.it/6mrz9xvckwtc1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=91c7751aeeeeb1d9cc4d235204d62fc295d12e0e
Also the Bank’s old form based on other images. Lazy scammers.
I do, so do lots of other people.
I have never seen anyone write exactly and then still include the 0/100 cents part though. That defeats the entire fucking purpose of writing the word exactly--it's exactly $X and no cents
Long story short, hes not picking up the thing himself, someone else will be so we won't even make contact... pressed for cash and insisted he couldn't. Guess ill cancel on him a second time hahaha
Edit: thanks!!
Thats what I did and he didn't ignore me. I read a bit online about fake cheques and they get cleared, but onces the bank spots the counterfeit it could take a while. Only then will I be penalized. Theres for sure more to it but thats what i know so far. It stinks of scam but at the same time it feels real. Probably just naivety
Pretty sure you are right. The "someone else will pick it up for me" line is another tell of a scam. Tell him if the other person can bring cash, then he can have the item. No Cash? No Item.
The reason he didn’t leave you alone is because these fake check schemes depend on people not understanding how fake checks work- the banks (in the US) are required to give you access to the funds within a few business days. People assume this means that the check has cleared. In reality, it can take up to 3-4 weeks for a check to fully clear. I assume he asked specifically what bank you used. They do this to make sure their fake check isn’t drawn on the same bank you’re using, which would be caught in a matter of minutes.
They purposely use a bank that is on the other side of the country because the check is literally physically sent to the issuing bank to be processed, so that alone adds enough time for the bank to be forced to give you a temporary credit for the check, which will be revoked when the check doesn’t clear.
Since this is a Canadian funds check, I am not sure if the same system / rules apply, but I assume so.
thank you for posting this, I live in the EU (Ireland) and i dont think I've ever had a cheque clear that didnt stay in my account, only once did a cheque bounce and it was from a scam
Waiting for the check to clear is not sufficient! Checks will "clear" in that funds will be made available much faster than it actually takes the banks to negotiate the payment. Plus, if this is a stolen check drawn on a legitimate account, even if the banks initially accept the check as genuine, there are months for the account owner to report fraud during which the money can be clawed back.
Common scam. Had someone try the same shit when I sold a motorbike. Saw the listing online and offered double without even looking at it, said his "courier" will deliver the check and pick up the bike since he's working remotely and needs it brought to him. Then told me to pay the courier with added funds on the check.
Hah, yeah right.
if you reverse image the check, the exact same picture with different digital writing is in another reddit scam subreddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/scambait/comments/186j1zw/what_should_i_do_here_i_knew_he_was_scamming_me/
They *literally* photoshopped the date and the sum. You "deposit" the check digitally, the balance shows on your account, few days later, that much is removed, and you get a dishonored cheque fee on top, plus out your items.
Don't fall for it, it's a total scam.
https://preview.redd.it/f3bwnq7ccvtc1.jpeg?width=1632&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8e0041a411c0af433d45ee3b85749e6f4bf9ba7c
And when you purchase a money order, the machine prints the total in numbers and words, all the buyer needs to fill in is purchaser info
Facebook marketplace is full of scammers now. Deal in cash only. It's easy and no scams involved. I mention in my posts, "Attention scammers - cash only"
I haven't had one scammer contact me since.
There is a difference between a cheque and a draft, fyi, but why would they get a draft to handle your transaction? That's silly. You pay for a draft.
If you’ll zoom in on the image, you can clearly see where they’ve taken a check they found online—and blurred out the original writing—and used text to type everything over it.
That's a fake. If you Google a Scotia bank Canadian dollar draft. There's one, also from Saskatchewan (#947964) , with the same background, with the amount "Exactly 1,100 dollar and zero cents in the same font.
Specially because you have a white border around what’s “written in pen”, yes, 200% fake. Letters are wayyyy 2 perfect and exactly equal (same length, no start pressure point, definitely machine made). Probably of have the same perfect spacing and lineup is same as you winning the lottery with 1 single random bet.
any person on marketplace who wants to pay via chq without seeing an item in person is a scam IMO. it doesn't matter what the cheque looks like, but in this case it does look quite fake.
thing looks like something straight out of fnaf when you beat all 5 nights😂
Jokes aside, It fake as you can see the scammers terrible photoshop work around the writing. I’m no expert, but I don’t think “Exactly” is supposed to be there.
You can see that it's blurry where the date is. There's also something strange going on in the "sum of" line. This could be a picture of a real check that someone sent once but it has been edited and definitely can't be trusted.
As a side note, it is suspicious that the amount is $950 because this is exactly the dividing line between petty larceny (misdemeanor) and grand larceny (felony) in states like California.
Fake check.
There is absolutely no reason for anybody, outside of a legitimate business, to pay with a check.
The "buyer" is a scammer. Report and block them
The constant "are you there" confirms they are trying to scam you. They want you to move/act in urgency so you don't second guess the transaction just like you are doing now.
I’m not trying to be rude but like how can’t you tell it’s literally just photoshopped writing no human handwriting is that uniform let alone has white smudges around where they pasted in the text
Mailed the check? Expecting you to ship or sending a courier?
Take it to Scotia Bank unless it is an image that n which case always a scam
Can’t just look at a check to know it will clear
I never accept checks above $50. Too risky. I usually use PayPal email or Stripe with buyer’s CC which both have buyer protection.
However if you were to accept check greater than $50, you should make it your policy 3-7 business days for check to clear before finalizing the transaction.
Rule of thumb, if your gut feeling it’s not legitimate check, 9/10 times you’re right.
The “hand written” part is actually a font. It’s not hand written.
Bank drafts are not cheques.
Bank drafts are torn from a book, so there would be no perforations on the left.
It's not a check, it's a draft. They are different (at least in the US).
Do not accept checks or electronic payments from people you do not know.
Facebook Marketplace should be for in person transactions, paid in cash, ideally in the lobby of the police department or a bank.
It could be an actual real cheque or a photo-shopped cheque, doesn't matter, the thing is the cheque will bounce long after they have the goods and you have used the money. Then you will be on the hook
Even if you are dealing with a SCAMMER and meet at a police station, that gives you ABSOLUTELY ZERO PROTECTION. If you decide to hand over your merchandise for a fake payment, the police station has no jurisdiction to protect you or stop your actions. You would still have to take legal action against this person and deal with all the procedural matters that come with it. SCAMMERS TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OTHER PEOPLE'S LAZINESS AND HOPES THAT THEY ARE GETTING SOMETHING FOR NOTHING! IF IT SEEMS TO GOOD TO BE TRUE, THEN IT IS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE. WAKE UP!
Just bring the person to the bank and the bank will let you know if the “check” is fake. Like the professionals handle it and if it is then they’ll probably call the police for you 😀
Idk if the requirements for check writing are the same in Canada as they are in the Us, but for the sum of section, it should say: Nine Hundred and Fifty Dollars and 00/100 (some will write zero cents as well) and then a line to the end of that section, which keeps someone from adding more money on the end
The scam is The bank has to give you the money within a certain amount of time, and the check being so far away they will not find out it’s a fake check until after they’ve paid you. They then withdraw the money from your account
Just tell them the only way you can accept the check is that you cannot ship it until the check clears. And make sure all communication is within FB Marketplace. I got burned once by someone who took the conversation offline to regular text. My mistake in letting that happen, a mistake I will never make again.
The problem with this is that the bank only puts a 5 business day hold on the cheque and will release the funds, even though it hasn't cleared. After a few months, the cheque could bounce and OP is held accountable for the entire amount if anything was withdrawn plus a NSF fee.
I mean ever since I watched "catch me if you can" I don't trust checks anymore from anyone but official businesses and other banks. I don't trust any individual these days to have enough to cover a check even if it is legit 😅
Has the item you've sold been picked up? There's a lot of similar scams. Looking at a few of the lines, there is a discrepancy with the background/ watermarks that you normally see on checks. For example, when you look at the account line: normally you should see "Nine-Hundred and fifty dollars" instead of a mix of numerical.
Even though this one is extremely poor, it’s very easy to make legit looking check images. To the point no one on here can distinguish.
Even a legit person with a legit check can give a check from an account with no funds.
You should never accept a check from an untrusted party.
Face to face cash only transactions.
Or for bigger amounts, go to their bank together with them and let the cashier of the bank give you a cashiers check.
Maybe it's a cultural/country thing, but I've seen words like "Exactly" and "Only" before and after the written amount (Seventy four dollars only, Exactly two hundred and twelve dollars, etc) on cheques I've handled.
What I've never seen as legit was a mix of numbers and words, as shown in the photo. (950 and zero cents)
I'm a Millennial who took a home economics class in middle school and we were taught the "only" wording for writing checks (like "three hundred only"), AND to also cross out any extra space on the line so that someone couldn't write in a higher amount (like modifying "three hundred" to "three hundred and fifty"). I have never ever seen "exactly" though, and certainly not at the front of the written amount, that totally defeats the purpose!
Old fashioned way to issue a check-
The question is-
Who uses checks anymore ?- lol
I literally have not had a bank issue checks in my name for two decades …
It looks like it might be this same check from another Redditor's scam post? [https://www.reddit.com/r/scambait/comments/186j1zw/what\_should\_i\_do\_here\_i\_knew\_he\_was\_scamming\_me/](https://www.reddit.com/r/scambait/comments/186j1zw/what_should_i_do_here_i_knew_he_was_scamming_me/)
https://preview.redd.it/n62nh9a48vtc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=764ecc85f43596307c9d5349b7529f04d18f5cb6
https://preview.redd.it/yz0b9b54cvtc1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=db840fb19513785a527c3ee16c06f762beebb0ae
It looks like white out was used
Looks like he used a cloning stamp on the date, amount and sum of fields. You can clearly see the small difference in color. Also, that's a font in the "sum of" field. It's not hand written.
Lets say it is real.
Person shows up gets the thing and leaves.
You cash check but they spent $5 and now it bounces. Then what?
Now ask yourself how did the check arrive? Now tell us.
They have zell nowadays , it is not 1970 when you need to pay in check , soooo I would go with at least 95 percent chance some kind of scam depending on if they asked you to deposit it soon so they could have the goods now, sure they will stay in contact with you until it goes through , you give them good check bounces and you find out they bounced when you gave it to them
I wouldn't even take a legit check. On facebook marketplace and similar, always do cash only, local pickup only. No exceptions. That simple rule avoids nearly all scammers.
My scammer did the same thing! I almost bought a pet tortoise online, but there was no tortoise and the person was an African scammer. If I didn't reply back in 2 seconds to his text messages, there would be a barrage of "Are you there!? Please reply! Are you still there!!" So yes, when they are that pushy and nervous, they are up to something.
Someone else on this board recently sold something worth a good amount of money, and the buyer offered to pay by check. And he said he would personally meet the seller at the bank to deposit it which he did. That one turned out to not be a scam. The buyer and check were legitimate. So maybe you could ask this person if he would meet you at the bank to deposit the check personally with ID, and then you would have to wait for the check to clear before finalizing your transaction with him and giving him the item. They are counting on getting your product before the several days that it takes for your bank to realize the check was bad.
/u/thiccjuker - 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.*
The font is not hand written and you can clearly see the background is lighter, so they have added all the info on top of the original one. This is a very common scam on marketplace. “I am ok with full price without any fuss, here is a digital cheque and I cannot pick it up but will get someone to do it for me” Report, block and ignore.
And then "please pay the movers for me" and if you send money it's gone. Check gets reversed.
And who writes "exactly" on the cheque?
What worries me is that the number should be written in words on the left, so you can't just add a bunch of zeros to it.
LMAO I didn't even notice that numerals were used there, not words!!!🤣
This is definitely a scam but I’ve seen that “exactly” before on occasion, sometimes on printed checks. Used to see it more often years ago when checks were more common. Usually people would put it after the dollar amount as another way to indicate zero cents. “One hundred dollars exactly ———.” I guess supposedly so some joker doesn’t add an extra 99/100 on the end, but that seems like an unlikely occurrence either way. Although I suppose with enough room on the left someone could maybe change “fifty” to “two hundred fifty,” so writing “exactly” or “only” helps prevent that. Possibly putting it before is for the same reason, but it might just be one of those things people did because they saw someone else do it or people thought it was supposed to help prevent some weird fraud loophole that way. Like when people used to write “check for id” instead of signing the back of their credit card even though the card companies said that’s invalid.
And that's why I always write that line as: "$blahblah blah xx/100~~~~~~~~~~" Lol ETA: I'm old enough to still write cheques occasionally. But NEVER in line or at a grocery store!!! Lol
This is how I was taught also!
I had to rewrite a cheque 2 or 3 times in a large department store once.🤦🏻♂️ A long queue was beginning to form which didn’t help and resulted in the checkout lady saying “he’s done it again” At my request, she wrote the next which I signed, made my excuses and left😂😂 As a lad in my late teens,I crumbled that day 🤷🏻♂️🤷🏻♂️
You gotta write that line through it so that someone doesn't write "plus another 1000 too"
I do, but I wasn't sure how to indicate it!!🤔😂
Hope to see “ approximately “ one day
I wrote Check ID once. I was surprised when a drive through employee asked. Only one who did in the life of that card. Never again.
Yeah, I used to write ONLY along with the amount
Actually, I've seen that sometimes on checks for full dollar amounts.
I think that I've only ever seen it on mass-mailing, "come hither" advertising junk mail.
Those mailers are the only examples many scammers have for how to write a cheque. Nobody uses cheques any more.
Same here. I have never ever ever ever seen anyone write that on a check. Might be regional I guess, I’m southwest US, but I have never seen this except as you mentioned on junk mail that goes straight to trash.
Plenty of people still use checks, I am one of them.
I’ve seen plenty of people use checks. I will very rarely still do it myself when there is for some reason no other choice. But I’ve never ever ever ever seen someone write the word “exactly” on it.
From people who never learned the how's and the why's of writing checks...
My mom once told me that they used to teach it in home ec!
My mom actually taught me how to write a check at home. I don’t write checks though but at least I know. Maybe it would be useful someday.
Lots of people in the before times . There was a time you'd send a check and it could be cashed for diffrent amounts. My first car loan I got a check that was " up to " 15k . I ended up spending 14kish
I used to, like 20 years ago when I last wrote a cheque lol. UK here, maybe its something we do.
I would say “only” is more common on cheques in the U.K.
Banks. Here's an example on a likely real Scotia Bank draft https://www.facebook.com/bubobcats/posts/the-bobcats-proudly-accepted-4542-through-scotiabanks-bright-future-program-on-f/1051521784894400/
This is how a bank draft is written. But that cheque is definitely fake.
Actually I do sometimes but it would be “Exactly Nine Hundred and Fifty Dollars”
It’s a cashier’s cheque (typically called bank drafts in Canada). They almost always write “exactly” before the dollar amount. I just processed dozens of these at my non-profit. Every single one was fully printed by what looks like a dot matrix printer because it is a cheque from the bank. [Here is an image of a real one.](https://images.app.goo.gl/GQWw3PcavibaMWXn6)
All bank drafts that I've seen use Exactly. They also are printed, not handwritten. The attempt to fake handwriting is a red flag (the whole thing is wholesale red flags).
The **"only"** is supposed to go at the end of the written amount.
I do.
I recently had someone reach out for me to design a wedding invitation. There was constant reaching out, “how’s it going” and at the end there was zero changes which is rare in my industry. They told me they could only do an e check and had specific instructions. At that point had reached the red flag allotment and knew it was a scam. Just have to look closely to all the little things. They add up.
It’s a very shitty photoshop. That handwriting is a font you can download
Thanks ill do just that!
I noticed that too. They blocked out the original text that was on the amount line.
The handwriting portion is also a font, not handwriting.
Thanks, didn't notice that... now that I look closer, all the same letters are written exactly the same way, shape wise.
Did they ask you to give some portion of the money to someone else for any reason? Movers. Charity. Cousin. Accidental overpay. Etc
Absolutely a scam, never accept checks from strangers unless they go to the bank with you in-person and have the check issued to you in person by the bank. To further clarify, I'm talking about a certified check/bank draft, which is why I said "have the check issued to you in person by the bank (buyer's bank)". In this case, the bank verifies that there is enough money to make the check, then the money is withdrawn from the account at the time of issuing and directly put into the check. This is 100% safe for large amount private transactions such as a car, a property etc.
Ill take note of that!
Good because most facebook marketplace interactions are like “do in front of your local police station” because of how likely it is someone is going to try and scam you
I love when I see an actual "Online Seller" spot at the precinct or station.
I love how you put Online seller in quotes- makes it sound sarcastic
Haha meant it more like the sign says that but yup haha
You should clarify that you mean the bank employees issue the check.
edited, thank you
Not even then. Get cash.
doing that is entirely safe, and cash is not suitable in all situations especially for super expensive stuff that goes up to tens of thousands. as long as the check/draft is issued in front of you in a bank, it's safe.
While your both in the bank there together just do a transfer. Who needs to pay marketplace purchases with checks in this day and age?
Just e-transfer in the parking lot! Have done this many times. You're in a public place, seller gets their money, buyer gets their item.
Yes. Etransfer is the way I go. But from what I gather in the US this isn’t common? I always seem people using cash app or zelle or stuff like this which in turn I always seem scams about them.
Yeah this is Canada, so there's no real reason to use a cheque in this situation - use Interac e-transfer. The U.S. AFAIK has no such centralized system, but a third party app called Venmo can facilitate account-to-account transfers.
This is a !fakecheck scam. Block and ignore him
Hi /u/xcaliblur2, 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.*
Thank you!
It is against the Terms and Conditions to take a picture of a picture for a mobile cheque deposit. Also that couldn’t be more fake if it said fake on it.
TOS of fb market place or the bank? Or both? But thanks, I didnt know that!
Your banking agreement. Every Canadian bank has that in their terms, which in turn is based on the legal regulation of what an "official image" of a cheque is. While an image of an image **is** allowed under the regulations, the key issue is that the **first**, original image taken from the paper item must be done by an agent of the bank. That can be you, as its customer, but it cannot be some rando on the internet.
That is not the current Scotiabank logo. If it’s real it’s quite old. Edit: You can see their current logo on their site: https://www.scotiabank.com/ca/en/personal.html
Yeah i figured it was either fake or really old... wanted to believe it was really old too 😭
Don't let your buyer tell you how you will be paid.
Thats good advice thank you!
When selling, always do so under your terms and never the buyer’s. You set the price, you set the payment method, etc.
Update: https://preview.redd.it/jkvxi0d64vtc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0924b9465fae399612f64dbe4e1da7306cbdfce4 Guys it's official, hes the real deal! Edit: wrote "Update" Edit 2: Reported him and now his marketplace account doesnt exist anymore hahaha
>BUT I AM NOT SCAMMING YOU Well... not for lack of trying lol.
“You’re right, you’re NOT scamming me. Not today, Satan.”
He cussed you out as soon as he realized you aren't falling for it. Typical knee jerk reaction from a scammer.
That's amazing. You should keep the check. It's now your Didn't Get Scammed trophy.
>Now his marketplace account doesn’t exist anymore Good, especially because that account was probably not his to begin with. People take over Facebook accounts for the express reason of scamming people on marketplace; It’s a known issue and Facebook doesn’t care.
So you completed the transaction?? Why don't you close this discussion where you asked the community to help you out? Glad everything worked out for you. Let us know in 3-7 business days, LOL
hAHahahaHAHaha this check looks like it was printed in Backyard Baseball.
i\`m not familiar with checks - we use a modern banking system - but the numbers and amount look photoshopped in. See the slighter lighter background there on the front. And the reply you gave 'he\`s not picking it up himself' is a classic script for scammers. In person, cash only.
Yeah, everything about our interaction was super pressing, like he was in a hurry to buy it which put me on alert immediately... I'm glad I took notice and decided to ask this community. You guys are so helpful, thank you so much!
- The "handwriting" is just a font - That's an old Scotia logo - That's a bank draft ("cashier's check" in US terms), not a regular cheque, why? - The back is all wrong. There's no verification phrase like "BACK/VERSO" and no endorsement line. - The line "This is watermarked paper and contain invisible fibres" is ungrammatical (should be "contains") and just strangely worded. It would say something like "This document is printed on watermaked paper" etc. - Let me guess, he sent you just a picture? It's against your account agreement to mobile deposit a picture of a picture.
I’ve taken in a lot of checks from customers through my billing job as well as written them and I have never seen one that wrote out the word exactly.
Used to write "only" after the amount on a British cheque. Four hundred pounds only. Never seen "exactly" over here.
Or put 950 in the written out line instead of nine hundred fifty.
A quick Google image search for “Scotiabank draft” also gives you this, which I’m guessing is the same image used. https://preview.redd.it/6mrz9xvckwtc1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=91c7751aeeeeb1d9cc4d235204d62fc295d12e0e Also the Bank’s old form based on other images. Lazy scammers.
Nice find. Even same table.
[удалено]
I do, so do lots of other people. I have never seen anyone write exactly and then still include the 0/100 cents part though. That defeats the entire fucking purpose of writing the word exactly--it's exactly $X and no cents
if they can write a cheque they can withdraw cash and pay that way. I would be weary of this buyer just due to that
Long story short, hes not picking up the thing himself, someone else will be so we won't even make contact... pressed for cash and insisted he couldn't. Guess ill cancel on him a second time hahaha Edit: thanks!!
okay 100% scam, tell him you will have to wait til the cheque clears before anybody can pick it up and he will start ignoring you
Thats what I did and he didn't ignore me. I read a bit online about fake cheques and they get cleared, but onces the bank spots the counterfeit it could take a while. Only then will I be penalized. Theres for sure more to it but thats what i know so far. It stinks of scam but at the same time it feels real. Probably just naivety
Pretty sure you are right. The "someone else will pick it up for me" line is another tell of a scam. Tell him if the other person can bring cash, then he can have the item. No Cash? No Item.
The reason he didn’t leave you alone is because these fake check schemes depend on people not understanding how fake checks work- the banks (in the US) are required to give you access to the funds within a few business days. People assume this means that the check has cleared. In reality, it can take up to 3-4 weeks for a check to fully clear. I assume he asked specifically what bank you used. They do this to make sure their fake check isn’t drawn on the same bank you’re using, which would be caught in a matter of minutes. They purposely use a bank that is on the other side of the country because the check is literally physically sent to the issuing bank to be processed, so that alone adds enough time for the bank to be forced to give you a temporary credit for the check, which will be revoked when the check doesn’t clear. Since this is a Canadian funds check, I am not sure if the same system / rules apply, but I assume so.
thank you for posting this, I live in the EU (Ireland) and i dont think I've ever had a cheque clear that didnt stay in my account, only once did a cheque bounce and it was from a scam
It’s their job to make it seem real
Waiting for the check to clear is not sufficient! Checks will "clear" in that funds will be made available much faster than it actually takes the banks to negotiate the payment. Plus, if this is a stolen check drawn on a legitimate account, even if the banks initially accept the check as genuine, there are months for the account owner to report fraud during which the money can be clawed back.
Check clearing doesn’t work. I’ve heard even month later your bank can hit you up for the check being fraudulent
"cash in person" copy, paste, send.
Common scam. Had someone try the same shit when I sold a motorbike. Saw the listing online and offered double without even looking at it, said his "courier" will deliver the check and pick up the bike since he's working remotely and needs it brought to him. Then told me to pay the courier with added funds on the check. Hah, yeah right.
if you reverse image the check, the exact same picture with different digital writing is in another reddit scam subreddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/scambait/comments/186j1zw/what_should_i_do_here_i_knew_he_was_scamming_me/
tell them to hang on, u are at the bank and they have contacted their fraud department.
They *literally* photoshopped the date and the sum. You "deposit" the check digitally, the balance shows on your account, few days later, that much is removed, and you get a dishonored cheque fee on top, plus out your items. Don't fall for it, it's a total scam.
This is really obvious IMO
https://preview.redd.it/f3bwnq7ccvtc1.jpeg?width=1632&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8e0041a411c0af433d45ee3b85749e6f4bf9ba7c And when you purchase a money order, the machine prints the total in numbers and words, all the buyer needs to fill in is purchaser info
Definitely fake
Mate, that's not real handwriting, it's a font. Fakest cheque ever.
How can you not see the whiteout???? I swear sometimes….. 🤦
Facebook marketplace is full of scammers now. Deal in cash only. It's easy and no scams involved. I mention in my posts, "Attention scammers - cash only" I haven't had one scammer contact me since. There is a difference between a cheque and a draft, fyi, but why would they get a draft to handle your transaction? That's silly. You pay for a draft.
Oooo that’s smart imma be doin that now
I'm very concerned that you can't tell the "writing" is photoshopped into the picture.
If you’ll zoom in on the image, you can clearly see where they’ve taken a check they found online—and blurred out the original writing—and used text to type everything over it.
It looks like it’s whited out on date and amount written on check. Total scam.
That's a fake. If you Google a Scotia bank Canadian dollar draft. There's one, also from Saskatchewan (#947964) , with the same background, with the amount "Exactly 1,100 dollar and zero cents in the same font.
Specially because you have a white border around what’s “written in pen”, yes, 200% fake. Letters are wayyyy 2 perfect and exactly equal (same length, no start pressure point, definitely machine made). Probably of have the same perfect spacing and lineup is same as you winning the lottery with 1 single random bet.
any person on marketplace who wants to pay via chq without seeing an item in person is a scam IMO. it doesn't matter what the cheque looks like, but in this case it does look quite fake.
thing looks like something straight out of fnaf when you beat all 5 nights😂 Jokes aside, It fake as you can see the scammers terrible photoshop work around the writing. I’m no expert, but I don’t think “Exactly” is supposed to be there.
Nah tbh never take a cheque from Facebook marketplace. Cash or etransfer
My understanding of Bank Drafts at least with TD Bank is all printed by a machine. Nothing is hand written.
Photoshopped check. 100% scam.
Never take payment by check. There’s no way of knowing whether it will even clear or if it’s authentic.
For local transactions in a public place, cash only. Or meet at a local bank and get an official check with the buyer.
Never accept checks
Absolutely 1,000,000% fake.
Scam 100%
You can see that it's blurry where the date is. There's also something strange going on in the "sum of" line. This could be a picture of a real check that someone sent once but it has been edited and definitely can't be trusted.
Real bank Cheques are not hand written on
Yes. And clearly so. The faked handwriting is a font and photoshopped onto an old cheque. It’s a scammer, block them.
Who the h*ll writes "exactly" and "zero cents" on a check?
Yes, it is fake. I used to work for Scotiabank and a Canadian dollar bank draft is not hand written, it is printed.
As a side note, it is suspicious that the amount is $950 because this is exactly the dividing line between petty larceny (misdemeanor) and grand larceny (felony) in states like California.
Most of these fake check scammers are overseas, I doubt they give a flying f word about that distinction
Fake check. There is absolutely no reason for anybody, outside of a legitimate business, to pay with a check. The "buyer" is a scammer. Report and block them The constant "are you there" confirms they are trying to scam you. They want you to move/act in urgency so you don't second guess the transaction just like you are doing now.
I’m not trying to be rude but like how can’t you tell it’s literally just photoshopped writing no human handwriting is that uniform let alone has white smudges around where they pasted in the text
Why do you think I posted here....
Mailed the check? Expecting you to ship or sending a courier? Take it to Scotia Bank unless it is an image that n which case always a scam Can’t just look at a check to know it will clear
You can see how they white out. Also, they didn't write out the sum to be paid. Just numbers
does this look real to you?
That's heavily (and badly) photoshopped. Total scam.
Humanity is doomed if someone has to question the (in)validity of this.
i looked for 5 seconds and realized that this is a font.
It’s the same Acrobat font they use on every fake check.
I never accept checks above $50. Too risky. I usually use PayPal email or Stripe with buyer’s CC which both have buyer protection. However if you were to accept check greater than $50, you should make it your policy 3-7 business days for check to clear before finalizing the transaction. Rule of thumb, if your gut feeling it’s not legitimate check, 9/10 times you’re right.
Scam. Trust your gut!!!
fake, the sky blue writing is added after, by computer, this is not hand writing.
Every number/letter is identical (compare the same ones to each other, the 2’s, 4’s and 0’s make it super obvious). This is done in photoshop.
Mate it says “exactly” 🤣
The “hand written” part is actually a font. It’s not hand written. Bank drafts are not cheques. Bank drafts are torn from a book, so there would be no perforations on the left.
It's not a check, it's a draft. They are different (at least in the US). Do not accept checks or electronic payments from people you do not know. Facebook Marketplace should be for in person transactions, paid in cash, ideally in the lobby of the police department or a bank.
It could be an actual real cheque or a photo-shopped cheque, doesn't matter, the thing is the cheque will bounce long after they have the goods and you have used the money. Then you will be on the hook
i haven't seen many checks but NO ONE writes "exactly" in their checks
You’re kidding right? What were you born last night?!!!!!?
Fake
A cheque's saying exactly makes me think they have more ambiguous cheque's out there. An "about 50 dollars" cheque. Yes this is obviously a fake.
Oh no, if I were you I’d run right to the bank and cash it
Even if you are dealing with a SCAMMER and meet at a police station, that gives you ABSOLUTELY ZERO PROTECTION. If you decide to hand over your merchandise for a fake payment, the police station has no jurisdiction to protect you or stop your actions. You would still have to take legal action against this person and deal with all the procedural matters that come with it. SCAMMERS TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OTHER PEOPLE'S LAZINESS AND HOPES THAT THEY ARE GETTING SOMETHING FOR NOTHING! IF IT SEEMS TO GOOD TO BE TRUE, THEN IT IS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE. WAKE UP!
Painfully fake
Just bring the person to the bank and the bank will let you know if the “check” is fake. Like the professionals handle it and if it is then they’ll probably call the police for you 😀
It’s a scam
Idk if the requirements for check writing are the same in Canada as they are in the Us, but for the sum of section, it should say: Nine Hundred and Fifty Dollars and 00/100 (some will write zero cents as well) and then a line to the end of that section, which keeps someone from adding more money on the end
The scam is The bank has to give you the money within a certain amount of time, and the check being so far away they will not find out it’s a fake check until after they’ve paid you. They then withdraw the money from your account
Very fake
Just tell them the only way you can accept the check is that you cannot ship it until the check clears. And make sure all communication is within FB Marketplace. I got burned once by someone who took the conversation offline to regular text. My mistake in letting that happen, a mistake I will never make again.
The problem with this is that the bank only puts a 5 business day hold on the cheque and will release the funds, even though it hasn't cleared. After a few months, the cheque could bounce and OP is held accountable for the entire amount if anything was withdrawn plus a NSF fee.
It’s not even a good fake. Definitely a scam.
I mean ever since I watched "catch me if you can" I don't trust checks anymore from anyone but official businesses and other banks. I don't trust any individual these days to have enough to cover a check even if it is legit 😅
Has the item you've sold been picked up? There's a lot of similar scams. Looking at a few of the lines, there is a discrepancy with the background/ watermarks that you normally see on checks. For example, when you look at the account line: normally you should see "Nine-Hundred and fifty dollars" instead of a mix of numerical.
Even though this one is extremely poor, it’s very easy to make legit looking check images. To the point no one on here can distinguish. Even a legit person with a legit check can give a check from an account with no funds. You should never accept a check from an untrusted party. Face to face cash only transactions. Or for bigger amounts, go to their bank together with them and let the cashier of the bank give you a cashiers check.
Fake.
This is a common scam. Only accept etransfer or cash.
cash only!!!!
Take it to the bank to verify it’s real
Ain’t no way you think there’s a chance this is real
I was delusional ok 😭 I really wanted to believe him and sale
Yes
Scam. 100% This is a modified bank draft.
Can you really write "exactly" in the sum ?
Maybe it's a cultural/country thing, but I've seen words like "Exactly" and "Only" before and after the written amount (Seventy four dollars only, Exactly two hundred and twelve dollars, etc) on cheques I've handled. What I've never seen as legit was a mix of numbers and words, as shown in the photo. (950 and zero cents)
I'm a Millennial who took a home economics class in middle school and we were taught the "only" wording for writing checks (like "three hundred only"), AND to also cross out any extra space on the line so that someone couldn't write in a higher amount (like modifying "three hundred" to "three hundred and fifty"). I have never ever seen "exactly" though, and certainly not at the front of the written amount, that totally defeats the purpose!
It's Canadian. So fake dollars /s (for the idiots who cannot spot a joke)
Who writes exactly in a cheque?
Old fashioned way to issue a check- The question is- Who uses checks anymore ?- lol I literally have not had a bank issue checks in my name for two decades …
Scam, it's 2024 if you pay by check you are either old as hell or you are a scammer.
It looks like it might be this same check from another Redditor's scam post? [https://www.reddit.com/r/scambait/comments/186j1zw/what\_should\_i\_do\_here\_i\_knew\_he\_was\_scamming\_me/](https://www.reddit.com/r/scambait/comments/186j1zw/what_should_i_do_here_i_knew_he_was_scamming_me/) https://preview.redd.it/n62nh9a48vtc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=764ecc85f43596307c9d5349b7529f04d18f5cb6
You can see the pixels from outer space.
All the letters are photoshopped in...and not even a good Photoshop
https://preview.redd.it/yz0b9b54cvtc1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=db840fb19513785a527c3ee16c06f762beebb0ae It looks like white out was used
Photoshop or equivalent. He doesn't have the paper, just a picture of the paper.
Looks like he used a cloning stamp on the date, amount and sum of fields. You can clearly see the small difference in color. Also, that's a font in the "sum of" field. It's not hand written.
It’s a scam.
Lets say it is real. Person shows up gets the thing and leaves. You cash check but they spent $5 and now it bounces. Then what? Now ask yourself how did the check arrive? Now tell us.
This is the fakeat check I have ever seen.
They have zell nowadays , it is not 1970 when you need to pay in check , soooo I would go with at least 95 percent chance some kind of scam depending on if they asked you to deposit it soon so they could have the goods now, sure they will stay in contact with you until it goes through , you give them good check bounces and you find out they bounced when you gave it to them
The MICR line is way off
Fake
Its an obvious photoshop
I wouldn't even take a legit check. On facebook marketplace and similar, always do cash only, local pickup only. No exceptions. That simple rule avoids nearly all scammers.
My scammer did the same thing! I almost bought a pet tortoise online, but there was no tortoise and the person was an African scammer. If I didn't reply back in 2 seconds to his text messages, there would be a barrage of "Are you there!? Please reply! Are you still there!!" So yes, when they are that pushy and nervous, they are up to something.
Someone else on this board recently sold something worth a good amount of money, and the buyer offered to pay by check. And he said he would personally meet the seller at the bank to deposit it which he did. That one turned out to not be a scam. The buyer and check were legitimate. So maybe you could ask this person if he would meet you at the bank to deposit the check personally with ID, and then you would have to wait for the check to clear before finalizing your transaction with him and giving him the item. They are counting on getting your product before the several days that it takes for your bank to realize the check was bad.
the scammer would for sure have an excuse LOL