Don't cash that check

You’ve heard it before. If you get a check in the mail unexpectedly, don't fall for it.  It's not really free money.

The Better Business Bureau says as we head into the holiday season, expect scammers to be out in full force.

While you can probably spot a scam, others may not.  Have you talked to your parents or grandparents about how they work?

“You don't get anything for nothing,” says Robert Lee who contacted FactFinder 12 after receiving a check in the mail.

His appeared to be a T-Mobile check for $4,950.68.

“It looks real,” says Lee.

It’s real enough a bank may cash it.

“That check you deposit into your account is going to be insufficient,” says Robbie Namee with the Better Business Bureau of Kansas.

Most of the checks come with a letter claiming that you’ve won a sweepstakes.  The sender wants you to cash the check and send them the money “to pay taxes” on your winnings. There are also secret shopper letters that claim similar things. 

“You're on the hook…the consumer, not the person in Canada or the United Kingdom. They're long gone,” says Namee.

The BBB says you get a check in the mail, ask yourself some questions.
Does it have a return address?  Is the post mark from another country?  Is it promising you more money if you send money?

Namee says those are all red flags.

“Every day we get phone calls and people coming in about once a week,” says Namee.

Lee says he doesn’t want to think about the consequences had he cashed the check.

“That would have destroyed me. We got a little money, but that would have gotten into our savings,” says Lee who wants others to know about the scam.

The BBB says that the best thing you can do is explain it to your elderly relatives and friends.  Encourage them to ask questions if they receive a check in the mail.