TRI-STATE AREA -- Here's a KHQA Safe Family Alert for you about a scam making its way around.
A viewer contacted us recently about some fake postal money orders he and his wife received in the mail.
Luckily for him, he didn't fall for the scam.
Now he wants to get the word out so you don't get duped either.
Rickie Myers of Quincy feels like he has a target on his back. In doing research on line about getting a new roof, he feels he's opened the gates for people to try and rip him off. He told me in the last year, he's been offered $90,000 in fake checks and money orders. Thankfully he hasn't fallen victim to any of it, and hasn't lost a dime. Early last week he got some postal money orders in the mail that looked similar to this.
"As far as the actual printing on the front, it was perfect. It even had the little security bar that was broken going down the front," says Myers.
Myers took the money orders for more than $850.00 each to the post office to check their legitimacy, and found out they were indeed fake. One clue that can tip you off to a fake money order is the amount. You cannot get a money order for more than a thousand dollars, so if you get one in the mail for a large amount, it's most likely fake. Another thing that tipped Myers off was he didn't know the person who sent him the money orders. Dan Taylor is a U.S. Postal Inspector. He showed me several counterfeit money orders. He also told me this scam has gotten more popular in the past five to six years, and the quality of the fakes has gotten a lot better.
"Key in on the circumstances of how you got that check or money order and ask yourself what they want you to do with it," says Taylor.
Dan Taylor also reminds everyone that there is never a legitimate reason for someone to ask you to cash a check or money order and send the money back to them. As with every scam, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Dan Taylor says if you get a fake check or money order in the mail, you should still report it to authorities.
He says arrests in fraud cases like this can be hard to make, but the more evidence authorities have, the better chance they can catch the crook who's behind the scam.
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forKHQA