GENOA, OH (WTOL) - It's a scam that seems so real it could leave you devastated and out of thousands of dollars. All of this while you are searching for a job and better opportunities.
"When they old me that the check was fraudulent, it hurt," said Keith Davis Jr.
Keith Davis Jr. recently graduated from college with his bachelor's degree in human resources. He has spent the past several months career hunting until he got a promising prospect.
"I get this text and it says, are you still interested in the admin assistant job," explained Keith Davis Jr. "I'm like yeah!"
He had an online interview with a company who claimed to be First American Corporation. The scammers explained job duties, pay, benefits and more to Keith. They hired him and said a check would be coming so he could order his office supplies since he would work from home.
"It's like a dream come true," said Davis. "I was like this has got to be too good to be true, so then when I get the check today I'm like this is really real, like this is a real thing."
Keith and his family were excited about the potential of the job until the company began messaging him urging he deposit the check. He says those messages made him suspicious. He began doing his research. He looked up the address of the check which led to a parking garage, he tried to track the mailing of the check which led to three different states, he even called the bank who told him the check was a fraud.
"Knowing that somebody is that intelligent to give you a fraudulent check that looks really, really, real and say you have a job and make you feel like you have one," started Keith Davis. "To know that this was all an elaborate scam is just like, it scares me."
Better Business Bureau leaders say these fraudulent check scams are becoming far too common. In fact, Richard Eppstein learned of a new one on Thursday when we met at his office.
"It's just another attempt to get you to fall for their scam," said Eppstein.
Nationally the BBB is warning of these over payment scams, asking you not to cash the checks.
"I mean, I've talked to people who have lost a significant part of their life savings because they believe these lies," explained Richard Eppstein.
Keith said cashing the check would have devastated his family of seven. He now wants others to be aware and alert because he never thought he'd almost be a victim.
"I don't want to see somebody else go through this like this is horrible, really horrible," said Davis.
Keith said he's a bit nervous to send out his application using the job application sites now, but will do a lot more research before sending his resume next time.
The BBB said there are some ways you can verify if a check is real or fake. They say if you receive a check that asks you to deposit it and spend or send money, you need to stop immediately.
They suggest you do your research on where the check is coming from, even if it's a Google search.
It's also wise to call your bank and the bank sending the check to ask questions. The BBB says they also want to help and you should contact them with questions.
Scam experts add if you do end up depositing the check, you should not spend or send and money until the check has cleared.
