The cheque/Bank transfer trick

The target of this swindle is almost always an accommodation advertiser.

A user contacts you interested in renting your house for several months and furthermore they want to pay the entire rental amount immediately. To pay you they send you a cheque for more than the agreed amount (if the stay costs €3,000, for example, they send a cheque for say €5,000). Then they tell you there has been a mistake, that you should cash the cheque in your bank and then send them the difference direct. The trick resides in the fact that a cheque may take several days (or even several weeks) to clear and until then your bank will not realise that it was a false cheque or it has bounced and you will have lost the money you have sent to the fraudster.

Tip:

  • Never consider a payment finalised until it has been confirmed by your bank.

Tambien pedes leer este artículo en Español Deutsch Français Português Italiano Nederlands

Updated on 10 March, 2020

Related Articles

Need Support?
Can't find the answer you're looking for?
Contact Support