[Rocket Scientist]

I like how you assume we all trawl craigslist and are familiar with the myriad of bullshit scams being perpetrated there.

We had a GAF thread on this. Someone was actually thinking of doing this.

[Skeyser]

He said that he's not worried because (again, NOT making this shit up!) he feels that his fellow prisoners will leave him alone cause he's skinny and doesn't know how to fight.

That's like the most backward logic I've ever heard.

[sonikokaruto]

tell him to start taking "the pill" so he doesn't get pregnant in prison.



you know, protection.

[MIMIC]

We should have a stupid brother contest. A bunch of us have dumb siblings. We should put them to use and have them compete against one another.

[industrian]

I'd like to talk to your brother about a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make a lot of money as the newest member of the Amway family.

[Death Dealer]

The sad thing is there's tons of people out there who fall for these scams every day.

A few years back, a friend of mine who is a bit older (late 40's) and not wise about computers, called me up and told me about some guy he met on the internet who needed him to cash a check and in return he'd get to keep some of it, blah, blah, blah

I told him to forget it, it's a scam, and explained the check would be a guaranteed fake.

I was shocked he was going to fall for it, because this dude really is much wiser than me when it comes to street smarts.

I guess every once in a while, they must get some people that go for it. Even if it's only 1 in 1000, that's enough incentive to keep the Nigerians spamming.


But OP's brother is a new level of stupidity if he falls for that same scam twice. Unbelievable. Before I read he was actually paying the money back, I thought maybe he knew the checks were fake and just didn't care. Some people are like that.

Same friend I mentioned above, knew someone that tried to pull a tax scam. Nothing elaborate or well thought out. On their tax return, they claimed like 12 dependents they didn't have. Got like a $10,000 tax refund check or something, and a month later the FBI was looking for them. Pretty sure they were caught and went to jail for a few years. Most criminals are dumb.

[mrklaw]

He wouldn't be on the hook if he waited for the check to bounce before trying to give the money back to the scammers. But instead he gives the money away for he realizes the check is no good, and now he owes the bank money. Unfortunately he gave that money away.

which is why the money goes abroad usually right? So it takes longer to bounce, so you think you're clear.

Surely banks should just not credit your account until the money has properly cleared. That would stop this scam in its tracks.

Yes it would be frustrating if you need the money in a hurry, but then ask for money to be transferred electronically and not by cheque.

[MC Safety]

You have to talk some sense into your brother. Tell him what he's got to do to be filthy rich is start placing tiny ads in newspapers.

[Mr_Zombie]

He said that he's not worried because (again, NOT making this shit up!) he feels that his fellow prisoners will leave him alone cause he's skinny and doesn't know how to fight.

Yes, he is dumb.

[Beelzeboss]

My grandmother got hit with the same thing a few times and fell for it every time thinking they were her friends and were helping her. Then after all this crap with my grandma happening my mother falls for the same damn thing.

I'm still paying off hospital bills from when my head exploded.

[Castor Krieg]

I will up you on that: my bro is 20, living with a woman twice his age (started when he was 15), got a child with her this January. He sees no problem with that.

Thankfully, I live in another country.


What do I win?

[Cheerilee]

Okay, so I have a little brother, who is currently 21. He's been living with my dad, and my mom's been living with me.

At this point in the story, it passed through my head that the "bad end" for you might have involved your incredibly stupid brother murdering your mother and/or father.

Please take comfort in the fact that your brother is apparently not stupid enough to have murdered your mother and/or father.

[MasLegio]

#YOLO is a dumb fucking term Some people are idiots. Your brother and my uncle are two of them. 5 years ago, my uncle squandered $1 mil from my grandmother (latino culture :lol) and blew it all in real estate after we (my mom and I) told him not to. He then pulls out a mortgage that my mom, grandmother and I live in and blows it on more real estate. Don't trust idiots with money.

I hope you helped put your uncle behind bars

[dragonelite]

Have told my parents and little brother that nothing is free on the internet and if it is you're either selling something maybe your privacy or information so they can take over your identity.

[MasLegio]

Have told my parents and little brother that nothing is free on the internet and if it is you're either selling something maybe your privacy or information so they can take over your identity.

lots of stuff is free on the internet pro bono, you just need to know how and why to separate the good from the bad

[ChiTownBuffalo]

Well, you could tell him that rape in prison isn't alays about lust, sometimes its about power.

[MuseManMike]

I like how you included a dialogue section instead of an extended soliloquy. Props, OP. Also, lol.

[astroturfing]

haha, just recently watched this episode :) so funny. Stimpy can't resist pushing the red button and just yells "I CAAAAAAAAAAAAAN'T!!!!" and goes for it lol.

[JGS]

Well that doesn't seem fair. Obviously this particular case is a scam, but someone I know could write me a check, I could cash it, the check could bounce and then I'd be on the hook for it. Not cool.

Signing the check is the same thing as taking responsibility for /ownership of the check.

You are stating the check is good which is why the bank is comfortable with letting you have it (Or rather give you an interest free loan on the funds until it clears).

The brother isn't dumb for falling it for it the first time. He is for not falling for it the second time but still trying to defraud the bank.

[Shadybiz]

I work with a guy who almost did something like this. He told me about it one day, and asked for my thoughts on it. I told him that I didn't quite know the mechanics of it, but it just screamed "scam" to me. He ended up not doing it, luckily. This is a guy who is going to have his bachelors' in Accounting very soon. I guess sometimes the lure of an easy payday is enough to blind even people that should absolutely know better.

But yes...to fall for it multiple times...wow.

[WrikaWrek]

He's on to something, believe

[MarkMclovin]

I don't understand how your brother is on the hook for any money. Who does he owe this money to? The bank? Why would he owe them money?

I can't get my head around why the bank would allow you to take the cash away, with the possibility of it bouncing.

[Joni]

I can't get my head around why the bank would allow you to take the cash away, with the possibility of it bouncing.

Why not? They have someone to blame and get the money from. No problem for them.

[silentspork]

I can't get my head around why the bank would allow you to take the cash away, with the possibility of it bouncing.

It may have been cashed by the bank where the check was from and flagged as fraudulent afterwards.

Then again I'm not 100% positive on whether the check is actually cashed and debited from the bank immediately.

[ElectricBlue187]

A fool and his money soon part

[cousins]

#YOLO

[MarkMclovin]

Why not? They have someone to blame and get the money from. No problem for them.

To stop this type of fraud? There must have been a few cases where the bank didn't get anything back. I dunno, just seems stupid.

[Ponn01]

He's old enough he should start knowing better. To do it again shows he's the type to not even learn from experience. This has passed into just fuck with him territory. Put an ad in your local Craigslist and wait for him to respond then start asking him to do stupid shit.

[Fersis]

Me: Okay, assuming that you lucked out, what the hell were you planning on doing with your new found monies? Him: I was gonna pay back the money I owed from the first time. Me: Well, then.

Cant believe it. Poor OP.

[JGS]

To stop this type of fraud? There must have been a few cases where the bank didn't get anything back. I dunno, just seems stupid.

We lose a lot of money on these scams, but we usually do not know they're officially scams until after the fact.

Plus, customers oftentimes do not want checks on hold (We rarely refuse to deposit a check unless we know for a certainty that it's fraudulent). It is standard procedure for banks to put anything they wish on hold and the hold usually lasts for a couple of days, although we can hold them for as long as we want.

Customers don't understand that the hold is to protect them from this type of thing.

[bengraven]

I smell fresh fish.

[Vagabundo]

That's like the most backward logic I've ever heard.

Guys in prison always prefer a fair fight.

[Tobe]

Im really sorry that your brother is that dumb.

[Cat Party]

The "Well, then" line is what kills me. I can feel the sense of exasperated defeat OP is experiencing.

[dojokun]

What excuse does the scammer give for the whole thing? If I'm reading his post, I'm thinking "If you have the money, why do you need to write someone a check to access your own money?"

[Flying_Phoenix]

You know those various craigslist postings where some random guy tells you to that he'll send a check that you can cash, where you can keep some money while sending back the rest?

Someone has to explain this to me. There is no way, and I mean no way that this concept is as stupid as I understood it. Your brother can't possibly be that dumb.

[DJMicLuv]

Truthfully: skinny and can't fight is the perfect rape buddy.

But at least only his anus will get battered.

[thomaser]

What excuse does the scammer give for the whole thing? If I'm reading his post, I'm thinking "If you have the money, why do you need to write someone a check to access your own money?"

From Wikipedia:

"This scam usually begins with a letter or email[7] purportedly sent to a selected recipient but actually sent to many, making an offer that would result in a large payoff for the victim. The email's subject line often says something like "From the desk of barrister [Name]", "Your assistance is needed", and so on. The details vary, but the usual story is that a person, often a government or bank employee, knows of a large amount of unclaimed money or gold which he cannot access directly, usually because he has no right to it. Such people, who may be real but impersonated people or fictitious characters played by the con artist, could include, for example, the wife or son of a deposed African or Indonesian leader or dictator who has amassed a stolen fortune, or a bank employee who knows of a terminally ill wealthy person with no relatives or a wealthy foreigner who deposited money in the bank just before dying in a plane crash (leaving no will or known next of kin),[21] a US soldier who has stumbled upon a hidden cache of gold in Iraq, a business being audited by the government, a disgruntled worker or corrupt government official who has embezzled funds, a refugee,[22] and similar characters. The money could be in the form of gold bullion, gold dust, money in a bank account, blood diamonds, a series of checks or bank drafts, and so forth. The sums involved are usually in the millions of dollars, and the investor is promised a large share, typically ten to forty percent, in return for assisting the fraudster to retrieve the money."

[dojokun]

From Wikipedia: "This scam usually begins with a letter or email[7] purportedly sent to a selected recipient but actually sent to many, making an offer that would result in a large payoff for the victim. The email's subject line often says something like "From the desk of barrister [Name]", "Your assistance is needed", and so on. The details vary, but the usual story is that a person, often a government or bank employee, knows of a large amount of unclaimed money or gold which he cannot access directly, usually because he has no right to it. Such people, who may be real but impersonated people or fictitious characters played by the con artist, could include, for example, the wife or son of a deposed African or Indonesian leader or dictator who has amassed a stolen fortune, or a bank employee who knows of a terminally ill wealthy person with no relatives or a wealthy foreigner who deposited money in the bank just before dying in a plane crash (leaving no will or known next of kin),[21] a US soldier who has stumbled upon a hidden cache of gold in Iraq, a business being audited by the government, a disgruntled worker or corrupt government official who has embezzled funds, a refugee,[22] and similar characters. The money could be in the form of gold bullion, gold dust, money in a bank account, blood diamonds, a series of checks or bank drafts, and so forth. The sums involved are usually in the millions of dollars, and the investor is promised a large share, typically ten to forty percent, in return for assisting the fraudster to retrieve the money."

That's the Nigerian email scam, which I understand fine... the scam in the OP is different, and thats what I'm confused about.

[CliqWriter]

How does if feel to know that your brother will soon be raped?
Damn, I really do feel bad for you though.

[GungHo]

Hey, maybe he's a genius and he's just invented the world's first reverse pyramid scheme.

[outunderthestars]

Someone has to explain this to me. There is no way, and I mean no way that this concept is as stupid as I understood it. Your brother can't possibly be that dumb.

I have received over 125 fake checks or money orders in the last six months. What they claim is that the balance is for a courier/transport service that will pick up the item being sold. At the last minute they cancel or modify the transaction, asking you to send the balance (minus a few hundred for you) back to them or to their transportation agent.

[sixteen-bit]

Wow, dude. You really lucked out.

[thomaser]

That's the Nigerian email scam, which I understand fine... the scam in the OP is different, and thats what I'm confused about.

I think they're the same thing. The Wiki-page calls it the "advance-fee fraud". There's a paragraph about the use of fake cheques on the same page, and it sounds exactly like what happened to the op's brother. But perhaps I'm misunderstanding something.

[Prez]

Well at least your brother isn't an anti-semite without even having met a jew.

[JGS]

That's the Nigerian email scam, which I understand fine... the scam in the OP is different, and thats what I'm confused about.

The scam usually involves setting up a way to set up shop in the States. I'm trying to remeber the details but I haven't seen an actual scam go through in a while.

It often involves looking for a nanny or starting a new business in the states and needing money for tickets, supplies, & whatnot.

[pompidu]

The check was fake, but he already withdrew the funds. The bank puts money in your account within a day or two out of courtesy while the check fully clears, if it doesn't, you owe the bank for the money they fronted you.

If it is a personal check, my bank won't cash it until it is cleared. Not sure about other banks.

[JGS]

How does if feel to know that your brother will soon be raped? Damn, I really do feel bad for you though.

The brother is likely not going to get in trouble over this. The bank knows wh the scammer is and they think the brother is simply exploiting it. If he goes around to other banks to cheat the system, then he will offically be a scammer himself and they should totally go after him.

Otherwise this is going to damage him credit wise & will probably be put on Chexsystems (Making it difficult to open another checking account).

If it is a personal check, my bank won't cash it until it is cleared. Not sure about other banks.

It's their option. Convenience is a big plus for a bank and many will not place checks on hold since, after all, it's the payee's responsibility to check the validity of it & easily 95% of themgo through just fine. However, that concept is pretty expensive.

I place holds on all international checks and most personal checks over 1,000. Most accounts have overdraft protection of some sort and the loss will be minimal. However, I rarely put checks on hold for longtime customers.

[zoku88]

Can someone explain the scam to me?

I'm not really understanding it...


Basically, are they sending him a (fake) check, he cashes the whole thing in, he keeps some of the money and sends the rest back, and then the bank says "hey, this isn't real" and now the brother has to pay the bank back and the scammers just got free cash monies?

EDIT: Oh, there's explanation on this page. I see. I automatically though banks could tell if the check was legit or not right when you turned it in.

[Mr.Awesome]

Can someone explain the scam to me? I'm not really understanding it... Basically, are they sending him a (fake) check, he cashes the whole thing in, he keeps some of the money and sends the rest back, and then the bank says "hey, this isn't real" and now the brother has to pay the bank back and the scammers just got free cash monies?

Yeah.