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@FBIPortland
Welcome to the Oregon FBI’s Tech Tuesday segment. This week: building a digital defense against check cashing scams.
There are lots of new apps these days that allow you to instantaneously pay friends and family for your share of dinner, a movie or the upcoming summer vacation. With all of this technology, checks might seem like an ancient form of payment. However, checks are still popular with consumers and, of course, scammers. In fact, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center – or IC3.gov – is reporting a rise in in the number of Oregonians who say they’ve been hit by a check cashing scam.
Here is how the fraud works: Imagine you have a stereo that you have been needing to get off your hands for months. Garage sales can be so much work that you decide to try selling the stereo online. A few hours after posting it, you get an offer from a potential buyer. The buyer says that he will send you a check as payment for the stereo. At this point, the scam can go one of two ways:
While both versions of this scam are prevalent, it is the second option that Oregonians are reporting more frequently. Our friends at the Federal Trade Commission have some tips on how to avoid becoming a victim:
If you have been victimized by this online scam or any other cyber fraud, be sure to report it to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov or call your local FBI office.
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