SIKESTON -- The letterhead looks legit. The check seems authentic, and the company's Web site is so professional looking, it couldn't possibly be a fake.
But each week, local law enforcement agencies and banks learn of scams that aren't so easy for consumers to resist. Most recently, Sikeston Department of Public Safety learned of a new type of scam when a Sikeston resident questioned a check she received in the mail.
"These scams can be very detailed and are often very convincing," said Sgt. Jim McMillen, public spokesperson for Sikeston DPS.
With the recent scam, a $5,000 (fraudulent) check was mailed to a Sikeston resident along with a letter, McMillen said. In the letter, a Canadian company, Shadow Shopper, explained it was looking for a "secret shopper" to help with a consumer research program. The letter stated to cash the check and transfer $4,200 back to Canada. The remaining $800 was to be used in purchasing items at a local business for consumer research.
"Many people do cash these checks because they are convinced by the scam and are often told they can keep a small portion of the money," McMillen said. "Your bank may even cash this fictitious check for you. However, weeks later they will discover it to be fraud and you will be held responsible for all of the money."
Teresa Bye, branch manager for US Bank in Sikeston, said bank personnel are questioned about whether a check is a scam daily.
"If it looks too good to be true, it is," Bye said. "The people who are doing these scams are very savvy. They know exactly what they're doing."
Because of the scams, banks are being more diligent and scrutinizing checks coming in, Bye said. Because of this, bank personnel have been able to divert many of these scams, she said.
"The consumer wants to believe they've come into this extra money because who doesn't want this extra money?" Bye said.
Recently US Bank conducted a fraud alert seminar for businesses in Sikeston.
"It seems no community is safe from these con artists. Like many other police departments, Sikeston DPS routinely receives complaints of possible scams, many of which are received through the mail or over the Internet," McMillen said, adding DPS receives about eight complaints each month.
Scams vary from fictitious lottery winners, counterfeit money orders, to someone attempting to steal your financial information or identity, McMillen said.
"The types of scams out there are too numerous to mention and these offenders are constantly coming up with new schemes," McMillen said.
Most often, the scam artists are not based in the United States; they will solicit potential victims from Mexico, Canada, Nigeria or from some other location outside the country, McMillen said.
The basic set up is to send a potential victim a fake check or money order for several hundreds or thousands of dollars and have the victim cash it. Then the victim sends the money back to scam artists.
"Don't be taken in by these types of schemes," McMillen said. "There is usually no legitimate reason for someone you don't know to send you a check in this manner. You will be held responsible for the fake check and can face civil and/or criminal penalties. The bank will not take the loss."
The percentage of Internet-related fraud complaints with "wire transfer" as the reported payment method more than tripled between calendar years 2003 and 2005, increasing by 12 percentage points, according to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission. Most lottery scams and Nigerian email scams usually involve wiring money to people.
"When it's all said in done, you should ask yourself: 'Why did I get this letter? Why me? Who are these people?' and use common sense," McMillen said. "You have to think, 'They don't even know me and sent me a $5,000 check?' If you don't look at it that way, it will get you in trouble."