If I was the victim of counterfeit check scam, is there anything that I can do?

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If I was the victim of counterfeit check scam, is there anything that I can do?

I am a broke college student who was desperately looking for a job. I got hired as a

Asked on March 27, 2016 under Criminal Law, Pennsylvania

Answers:

SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney

Answered 8 years ago | Contributor

The only way to get your money back--and it may not work--is to sue her for the money: there is no government agency that goes around collecting money for the victims of scams, so you have to do this yourself. If you believe you have her account number in a local bank, in theory, if you have also her address (since you need an address to serve someone--that is, to properly send her the legal papers and let the courts gain jurisdication, or power, over her), you could not only sue her but make an application for "emergent" or urgent relief consisting of a court order freezing the account so any money in it cannot disappear. But you need her addresss to serve her; you have to sue her to do this (the bank can't freeze her account on her say so--it needs  court order); if there is no money there or in any other location you find or reach with legal process, this won't help you; and even if you file the suit "pro se" (acting as your own attorney), you'll still have to foot the filing costs. It is very likely, based on how these scams generally work, that you will be unable to actually find her or the money and get it back, but if you feel you have a shot based on what you know, you can give it a try.
For future reference: no one EVER offers easy or guaranteed money to strangers, or too-good-to-be-true jobs or investment opportunities. I am speaking as a former SEC attorney.


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