MONTROSE - Never underestimate the creativity - or tenacity - of cyber fraudsters.
A Montrose resident found that out the hard way, when an electronic pen pal allegedly abused a trusting relationship that was a year in the making.
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The U.S. Secret Service keeps tabs on such schemes, also known as advance fee fraud. There are several variants and the best known is one in which a person pretending to have connections with the Nigerian government claims to have millions in excess government funds that he or she wants transferred into the bank account of an individual or company. Usually, the victim winds up being asked to part with some sort of fee in advance to secure the money and some are lured to Nigeria to complete what proves a bogus transaction.
The Montrose resident was victimized by a newer twist - counterfeit cashier's checks. Chinn said the Nigerian man asked the reported victim to cash a $3,000 cashier's check and wire him the money. For going to that trouble, the victim was to keep 10 percent, or $300.
The victim agreed and wired all but $300 to Nigeria. The bank, which Chinn also declined to identify, later discovered the cashier's check to be fraudulent and the victim was left holding the bag.
"This kind of stuff is still out there," Chinn said of Internet fraud scams. "(People) need to be real careful what they're doing. Why would anyone in one country want us to cash the check in our country and wire them back the money? It just doesn't add up."
Montrose Police Department has turned over the information to the FBI and Secret Service.
"There is no agency in the United States that has jurisdiction in any other country," Chinn said. "The likelihood for satisfaction for the victim is slim to none."
Fraudulent cashier's checks have also been used to pay for purchases made over the Internet. In this variant of the crime, the perpetrator usually sends a cashier's check for well over an item's purchase amount and asks the victim to remit the difference.
Getting in touch with the inner skeptic remains the only real way to protect oneself from rubber checks and phony deals.
"If it sounds too good to be true," Chinn said, "it probably is."
Contact Katharhynn Heidelberg via e-mail
at katharhynnh@montrosepress.com
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