I have been sent thousands of emails over the years, where people ask me if I think that it is a scam or not.
If you can answer yes to any of the following questions, then the situation that you are involved in is a scam!
Did you receive the check/money order from selling an item online, such as a car, boat, jewelry, etc.?
Is the amount of the check/money order more that the item’s selling price?
Did you receive the check/money order via an overnight delivery service (not the US postal system)?
Is the check drawn on a business or individual account that is different from the person buying your item or product?
Have you been informed that you have won a lottery in another country?
Have you been instructed to wire, send or ship money as soon as possible?
Have you been asked to pay money to receive a deposit from another country?
Are you receiving pay or commission for facititating money transfers through your account?
Did you respond to an email requesting you to confirm, update or provide bank or credit card account information?
Are you sending/wiring money to someone that you met on the internet, never in person, who needs your help to get through hard times (relative died, someone is in the hospital, etc.) and they promise to pay you back as soon as they can?
Some of the popular scams out there now are
Romance/Dating scam, so do not wire money to anyone that you have met on an internet dating site
Roommate Scams, so do not wire money to anyone sends you a check/money order for rent fees
Secret Shopper Scams, so do not wire money to anyone claiming to be giving you a job as a secret shopper
Lottery Scams, so do not wire any money to people claiming you have won money