JACKSON, Miss.–You’re being warned not to fall for the latest scam going around Mississippi. This one involves fake employers offering to pay you with a check that you deposit. You withdraw the money, keep some for your “monthly salary”, then send the rest back to the fake employer. Don’t fall for it.
Attorney Gen. Jim Hood said you could find these “jobs” on Craigslist or other websites. You’re asked to send the money back by wire transfer, money gram, green dot money card, or some similar mechanism into another account.
The check looks good to you and the bank, but turns out to be phony, ultimately leaving you hung out to dry with the bank.
“Our investigators are receiving numerous calls concerning these types of scams,” said Attorney General Jim Hood. “We want to warn people before they fall victim.”
This scam is a modern twist on the age-old “lottery scam.” Predating internet and electronic communications, the “lottery scam” involved a con artist working through the mail by sending a sizeable check to a “winning” consumer. The consumer would be directed to cash or deposit the check and return a portion back to the sender to cover “taxes” or “fees” on the lottery “winnings,” only to find out a couple of days later that the check had bounced and the consumer was responsible, said a news release from Hood’s office.
“Consumers always need to be wary of sharing personal information or acting quickly on deals that seem too good to be true,” said Hood.
If you think you may have already fallen victim to such a scam, call the Consumer Protection Division of the Attorney General’s Office at 1-800-281-4418 or go online at www.agjimhood.com to download a complaint form.
