Overpayment Scam Making A Comeback
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) - An old scam is making a comeback.
It's called the 'overpayment scam' in which the criminals promise the victims money but end up ripping them off.
Jordan Lyle needed a job while she looked for a career in her field.
"I want to be a broadcast journalist," she explained.
The recent University of North Texas graduate had worked as a nanny while going to school and went to Care.com to line up a gig for the summer. Things started off fairly good.
"I got an email in the first few days," she said.
The posting said a hearing impaired mom was moving to Texas and was desperate for help. It offered $20 an hour even though it was a single child because she had just gone through a really tragic experience. The posting explained that the woman's whole family was in a car crash and that the accident killed her husband and injured her son.
Lyle sympathized with the woman's situation. "I was like 'I can't imagine being out of state, and being deaf,' and now her son is in a wheelchair."
The mom sent a photo and all of the details.
"The picture was really sweet I mean it just looked like a kid that was experiencing how to use a wheel chair, and his mom looked really loving," said Lyle.
All Lyle had to do was buy and assemble a new wheelchair before the family arrived in Texas. The mom sent a check for $1900. Lyle was to keep $250 and use the rest to pay for the wheelchair.
But then there was a twist.
"So then she said, 'I need you to take out the money and then go deposit it into another bank' and that's where I thought this is weird," Lyle said.
So she did an online search and found the same thing had happened to a college student in California.
Lyle immediately called her bank and filed a police report.
Care.com says they warn about over payment scams and have a safety center on the site. However, the incidents appear to still be happening.
Dailyscam.com reports 50 people have contacted them over the last six months with similar scam stories — all from Care.com.
Lyle is now trying to warn others so they don't fall into the trap.
The scam goes something like this…
People posing as employers attempt to trick job seekers into sending them money. Typically, they ask the job seeker to buy a needed item or claim that they are relocating and want to pay the job seeker in advance. They will send the job seeker a check (often for a large sum of money) and request that the job seeker cash the check and send a portion of the money back to them. The check is fraudulent, but the job seeker doesn't learn this until it's too late – after they have sent a portion of the money back to the scammer.
Although this type of scam is becoming more common online, there are a few simple things you can do to protect yourself:
1. Do not reply to any text messages, emails, or phone calls from a potential employer with a request to cash a check, send a money card, purchase an item, or wire money.
2. Never accept a check, money card, or money wire from an employer you haven't yet worked for or met in person.
3. Never send a check, money card, or money wire to an employer you haven't yet worked for or met in person.
4. If you're paid by check or money order, only accept payment for the exact amount that you agreed upon with your employer.
5. Beware of potential employers who are "Moving to Your Area" or "Relocating". Delay accepting a job until you can have an in-person interview and do not accept any type of advance payment.
6. Do not provide your social security number, credit card, or bank account number to anyone. Care.com will only ask for your social security number when performing a background check. We will only ask for your credit card if you sign up for premium services. The information will only be used in secure transactions, and Care.com will never call you for this information. Click here to view our privacy policy
7. Keep an eye out for messages with excessive grammatical or spelling errors. Messages from scammers are often full of them.
When using Care.com, we recommend that you send all communication through our messaging system, rather than use your personal email address or text messaging. This protects your information and allows us to use our technology to help identify possible scams. In addition, if you have suspicions about a job or prospective employer, please let us know. It's simple: just click the "Report" flag in any message or job post.
Finally, when using the Internet remember to avoid any offers that sound too good to be true—they probably are.
