Red Flags for Banking Fraud

The following information is provided to help protect yourself against fraud.

Suspicious Situations to be Concerned About:

• You receive a negotiable item (i.e., official check, money order, business check, personal check, etc.), or item, in response to something you sold over the internet.
• You are asked to send a negotiable instrument in response to something you purchased over the internet.
• You are asked to send a wire transfer, gift card, or money order or otherwise return any portion of a negotiable item proceeds to a third party.
• You have any reason to suspect that a negotiable item you receive is not valid.
• The negotiable item is drawn on a business or individual account other than the person buying your item or product.
• The amount of the negotiable item is more than the item price.
• You received a negotiable item via an overnight delivery service.
• The negotiable item is connected to communicating with someone by email or text.
• You have been informed that you were the winner of a lottery that you did not enter.
• You are receiving pay or commission for facilitating money transfers through your account.
• You have been instructed to either wire, send, or ship money, ASAP, to a large U.S. city or to another country, such as Canada, England, or Nigeria.
• You have been asked to pay money to receive a deposit from another country such as Canada, England, or Nigeria.
• You responded to an email requesting you to confirm, update, or provide your account information.
• You are being asked to open an account as a result of a job offer you received online.