A Portsmouth, Ohio, mother contacted police after learning that her daughter had deposited two suspicious $800 checks sent by a stranger she met through Snapchat.
The unknown person did not send physical checks, according to Scioto County Daily News.
Police were told the daughter received images of the checks by email and then deposited both into her bank account.
The two deposits totaled $1,600 and were still listed as pending when the mother found out what had happened.
The Mother Suspected a Scam Before the Checks Cleared
The mother immediately suspected something was wrong after learning about the two $800 deposits.
She tried to contact the bank, but Scioto County Daily News reported that the family was having trouble reaching someone because it was Saturday.
The daughter showed an officer pictures of the checks. According to the police report cited by the outlet, the checks appeared as though they could be fake or forged.
Police documented the incident and advised the family to contact the department again if any money was taken from the account.
The Danger Comes After the Deposit Appears
In fake-check scams, the first problem is that a deposit can appear in an account before the bank confirms whether the check is real. A pending deposit or temporary availability of funds does not mean the check has fully cleared.
The Federal Trade Commission says banks must make deposited funds available quickly, but fake checks can take weeks to be discovered.
Anyone who deposits a suspicious check should avoid spending or transferring the money, contact the bank’s fraud department, save messages and screenshots, and report the incident if the sender pressures them to move funds before the bank verifies the check.
Fake-check scams can be reported to the bank’s fraud department, local police, the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, and the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at IC3.gov.