Sellers to be wary of bogus cheques

Police warn sellers to be wary of bogus cheques

A countrywide scam is affecting individuals and companies selling items in Warwickshire.

Andy Robbins, Head of Fraud for Warwickshire Police said

"We have had cases where companies have been defrauded of over £100,000, which is obviously devastating. We’re keen to warn people of what they can do to make sure they do not become a victim of this scam involving stolen or forged cheques."

The fraud originates from North West Africa and has evolved over the years with offenders developing their methods until they find a way of deceiving individuals into parting with their money.

The scam starts with the offender approaching a member of the public or company advertising something for sale in a newspaper or on the Internet, for example a car, a computer, or other item. The caller claims to be interested in buying the item and agrees to pay by cheque, so the buyer and seller never meet.

Usually, the cheque is for more than the item costs, and a plausible explanation is given, with a request that the difference is paid back. These cheques are usually stolen or forgeries, and can initially pass into the bank clearing system as cleared funds.

Andy continued

"When the unsuspecting seller thinks the cheque has cleared he posts the difference back to the ‘buyer’. However, he then discovers there is a problem with the cheque.

"One victim was selling a BMW for £3,500 and was paid by way of a £8,000 cheque and asked to refund the difference. Unfortunately by the time he discovered the cheque was forged he had already sent back the £4,500 difference.”"

Make sure you don’t become a victim by looking out for the following:-

• The ‘drawer’ is a company, or a third party,
• The date on the cheque may not match the purchase date
• The amount does not match the item price,
• The ‘buyer’ tries to cancel the purchase, with some plausible excuse, just after the cheque has been banked, and asks for a refund, maybe even with a deduction for the sellers trouble.

NEVER refund money against a cheque and BEFORE sending any goods make sure the cheque has FULLY cleared. Ring your bank to check.

If you are selling anything, try to get verifiable identification of the buyer. If you get a cheque and are suspicious, handle the cheque as little as possible (so that we can take fingerprints) and try to get your bank to check it, and/or contact Warwickshire Police on 01926 415000 asking to be put through to your local station.