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Identity theft and stolen credit cards are just the tip of the iceberg
The Internet has so quickly become a part of our everyday lives that we have a hard time remembering how things were before we had ready access to it. Need a recipe? Just do a search. Need to pay bills? Just go to your bank’s Website and pay. It’s easy, fast, and convenient. Unfortunately, it’s also a great way to become a victim of theft, as there are a number of criminals who are doing a great job of swindling money from people who use the Web. In this third part of our series on Internet fraud scams, we will look at a couple of other methods that criminals use to steal money from people.
Overpayment scams - This one is relatively new but has proven to be quite profitable. The victims are people who offer something for sale on the Web; perhaps through Ebay or some other site that allows individuals to sell things. Someone will contact the seller and offer to buy the item. When it comes time to pay, they will send a cashier’s check for more than the amount owed. Perhaps the amount will even be for several thousand dollars more than the amount owed. The buyer will have some convenient explanation, and will ask the seller to simply refund the money. The seller deposits the check and his or her bank will credit the seller’s account within ten days or so. Sometime after the seller refunds the extra money to the buyer, the cashier’s check bounces, and the seller’s bank then wants the money back, including the sum that the seller “refunded” to the buyer. This one is quite common and quite effective. A lot of people get hurt by this scam. If you are selling on the Web, do not accept payment for more than your asking price.
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