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Contact 6: Beware of fake money orders
Contact 6: Beware of fake money orders
MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- FOX6's Contact 6 has a warning for small business owners: your client may not be who you think.
This scam began with an email order for fliers and business cards -- sent to a minuteman press store.
"Everything appeared to be legitimate," Ken Schaeffer said.
Then, the payment arrived.
"We received a postal money order and it was for more than what it should have been," Schaeffer said.
Part of the payment was for the printing expenses, owner Steve Schaeffer was told. The other for business expenses for the person picking up the order.
"He asked us to go to the bank, deposit it, and if we could please take what was left and send the balance to his partner," Ken Schaeffer said.
Schaeffer did that, and a few days later, checked his bank account. The money order bounced. In fact, the con man even sent a second money order and was about to try the same scam. However, by then, Schaeffer was on to him.
"In fact, they had the same serial number on the bottom," Ken Schaeffer said.
How to avoid being a victim of this scam?
"If it`s a postal money order, go to the post office. Ask them to look up the money order and find out if its legitimate," U.S. Postal Inspector Blanca Alvarez said.
"You feel violated. You feel taken advantage of. You`re saying, 'gosh I should have known better,'" Ken Schaeffer said.
Schaeffer lost about $800. His advice: Check your bank account every few days. If Schaeffer hadn't done that and discovered the money order had bounced, he could have ended up losing even more money.