untrappable

Fake check scam: why you'll owe the money back

Editorially reviewed · Last updated July 15, 2026

Yes — this is a scam. If someone sends you a check and asks you to send part of it back, it's a scam — the check bounces and the bank takes the money from you.

Your first assignment — check enclosed
M
Morgan Reyes · Hiring
hr@secure-shopper-tasks.com
8:37 AM
Welcome aboard! We've mailed you a $2,480 check for your mystery-shopper assignment. Deposit it today, keep $300 as your pay, and send the remaining $2,180 to the vendor via Zelle to finish task one: vendor-payments.secure-shopper-tasks.com
View assignment details
The Email, as received

Other versions you might get: A mystery-shopper or “assistant” job, a prize or sweepstakes that needs a fee, a Marketplace buyer who overpays, a landlord refunding a deposit, or an online romance who sends a check to “hold.” The check is always fake, and the money you send back is always your own.

What to do right now

  1. Don't send any money back, and don't spend the deposit. “Funds available” is not the same as a check that has cleared — a fake can take weeks to bounce.
  2. Ask your bank directly whether the check has genuinely cleared before you touch a cent. Tell them you think it may be a fake check.
  3. If you already sent money: contact the service you used right away — wire (MoneyGram, Western Union), Zelle or your bank, the gift-card issuer, or the payment app — and ask them to reverse or freeze it. The sooner you act, the better the odds.
  4. Report it. File at reportfraud.ftc.gov (and to your state consumer-protection office), and keep the check, envelope, and messages as evidence.

How to make sure it never bites you

Fake-check scams find you through job boards, marketplace listings, and dating apps where your contact details are exposed. Tighten what's public and lock down the accounts they reach you on — see how to protect yourself.

Untrappable · Public service advisory

Stop the next one at the source

You got this because your details are on lists that get bought, sold, and leaked. You can't unspill that, but you can make it useless to a scammer. Start with the free steps — they do most of the work.

Optional — if you'd rather it was handled for you

If you'd rather have it watched for you, an identity-protection service monitors your accounts, SSN, and the dark web, warns you the moment something new appears, and helps you recover if someone gets through.

See identity protection →

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Frequently asked

The check already showed up in my balance — doesn't that mean it's good?
No. By law your bank must make deposited funds available quickly, usually within a day or two, but that is not the same as the check clearing. Uncovering a fake check can take weeks. When it bounces, the bank reverses the deposit and you owe back anything you already spent or sent on.
I deposited the check and already sent the money back — what can I do?
Act immediately. Contact whoever moved the money and ask them to reverse or freeze it: for a wire, call the wire company (MoneyGram 1‑800‑926‑9400, Western Union 1‑800‑448‑1492) or your bank; for Zelle or an app, contact your bank and the app; for a gift card, call the card's issuer and say it was used in a scam. Then report it at reportfraud.ftc.gov. Recovery isn't guaranteed, but speed helps.
Why would a scammer send me real money first?
They aren't. The check is counterfeit — it just looks and behaves like a real one long enough for your bank to release the funds. You send them your own money by wire or app before the fake is discovered, and when it bounces you're left covering the loss. That timing gap is the entire scam.
How do I know if a check is fake?
You often can't tell by looking — counterfeits copy real bank details and pass a first glance. The reliable tells are in the deal, not the paper: you were sent a check by someone you don't know and asked to send part of it back, fast, by wire, Zelle, gift card, or crypto. That combination is a scam every time, no matter how genuine the check appears.

Related scams

Sources

A public service

Help protect someone else

Scams spread because people stay quiet about them. If this could have fooled you, it can fool someone you know — a parent, a friend, the family group chat. Passing it on is the easiest good thing you'll do today. It's safe to forward, and stands on its own as a record for a bank or the police.