An attempt was recently made to con an artist acquaintance of mine.  It was avoided because of her alertness and innate 
skepticism.  Here’s her story:

 


I received an email (from a MSN address) from a visitor to my website, inquiring about some of my paintings.  This is not 
unusual.  I replied by sending him the standard list of the prices of available artwork.  I also looked up the address he
 sent me, which turned out to be an office building in Houston, TX.

Then I received an email back letting me know he was interested in purchasing one of my paintings, explaining he wanted to
 show it at an international exhibition.  He asked for my address and phone number in order to send me a check.  I replied
 by sending him my P.O. Box address and my cell phone number. (This is an excellent idea. I teach this in my writings)

About ten days later an envelope arrived (posted in Dallas, TX) with a cashier’s check for the amount of $8,550 - an amount 
much larger than the painting he was buying.  So I emailed the client to let him know the check had arrived, thinking/hoping
 he was purchasing more than one painting.  He replied that the one painting was to be sent to an address of an exhibition 
organizer in Australia, and that I was to send the remaining money there too using Western Union.

That felt all wrong.  Luckily, my husband (a computer expert) was able to ping the emails I had received, they all 
originated in Nigeria.

On Monday morning I went to my bank and asked them to verify the check, but please to not cash it.  The check proved to
 be a counterfeit, but such a good one that it would’ve been paid out by the bank without a problem, if I had gone ahead 
and cashed it.

I asked them, what would happen if I had cashed the check?  They told me: The next day the bank would’ve found out the 
check was a fake and uninsured, and my bank account would’ve been debited for the entire amount.  If by then I would’ve
 also sent my painting and wired the remaining balance, I would have been duped for over $16,000 !!!!!

I immediately contacted the FBI for advice. This is important:

The cashier’s check is considered contraband, so it is crucial to make sure you do not keep it in your possession.  If this
 happens to you, the best way to dispose of it is to contact your local FBI and explain the situation to them.  They will 
give you instructions on what to do.  In my case they will come by my studio this week to pick up the check, and look at 
the emails and the related IP addresses for further investigation.  I’m to ignore further incoming emails from this person.

So please be alert!  It is important to use common sense when dealing with potential customers.  I have sold paintings to 
clients who visited my website before, but I was never asked to forward money.  

When you sell a painting, please make sure you receive a check with the exact sales amount (plus shipping).  If it is a 
check from an unknown customer, please ask the bank to verify the routing number and provenance of the check before cashing 
it.  Never ship artwork before you have made sure your payment is legitimate.  If it seems too good to be true, it often 
is…
 

For more information visit the FBI cyber fraud website at:

www.fbi.gov/cyber/cysweep/cysweep1.htm


Here’s the description of the scheme:
 
Counterfeit Check Schemes

A counterfeit or fraudulent cashier’s check or corporate check is utilized to pay for merchandise.  Often these checks are 
made out for a substantially larger amount than the purchase price.  The victims are instructed to deposit the check and 
return the overage amount, usually by wire transfer, to a foreign country.  Because banks may release funds from a cashier's
 check before the check actually clears, the victim believes the check has cleared and wires the money as instructed.  One
 popular variation of this scam involves the purchase of automobiles listed for sale in various Internet classified 
advertisements.  The sellers are contacted about purchasing the autos and shipping them to a foreign country.  The buyer,
 or person acting on behalf of a buyer, then sends the seller a cashier's check for an amount several thousand dollars over 
the price of the vehicle.  The seller is directed to deposit the check and wire the excess back to the buyer so they can
 pay the shipping charges.  Once the money is sent, the buyer typically comes up with an excuse for canceling the purchase,
 and attempts to have the rest of the money returned.  Although the seller does not lose the vehicle, he is typically held 
responsible by his bank for depositing a counterfeit check.