Taking Action: Fake Check Scam Targets Avon Ladies

Ever get a letter in the mail with a check inside from someone you don't even know? Your eyes light up like dollar signs. But here's the thing, if it sounds too good to be true.. it probably is! WHNT NEWS 19 is Taking Action to keep you from falling victim to this scam.

If someone you don't know wants to pay you by check but wants you to wire some of the money back, beware! It's a scam that could cost you thousands of dollars. Fake check scammers hunt for victims.


Avon ladies used to ring a doorbell. But now with the advent of the Internet, Avon representatives like Lisa Taylor are just a mouse click away. Taylor had someone contact her through email. They wanted to place an order.

The order consisted of lipstick, face wash, moisturizer, renewal night cream, hand and body lotion and an Avon manicure kit. The total order was $225.34.

Taylor says, "I emailed them back and gave them the total amount. They said they would send me the money but not to order the product until they sent the money."

The money arrived in a a fancy envelope. It was stamped with royalty from abroad. The stamp had the Queen of England on it.

When Taylor opened the envelope, "My eyes got as big as quarters," she says.

Inside was a check for $1,700.

Thousands of dollars more than the Avon products were worth, she asserts.

Taylor emailed her customer back telling her it was more than enough money.

The woman, in an email told her there was a simple explanation for that. She maintained her broker had made a mistake and for her to deduct the charges for the Avon order and wire the difference back to someone else in Poland.

"I felt like it was a scam," Taylor said.

She's right. It's a scam more commonly referred to as the check scam.

Lisa Taylor took steps to confirm her suspicions.

She faxed a copy of the $1,700 check to the bank in North Carolina where it was written on. Taylor says, "They called us back and said that it was their routing number and their logo but the check was no good."

Michele Mason is the President of the Better Business Bureau of North Alabama. She says in this particular scam, the red flag is that you're being asked to wire money.

Mason says the BBB is hearing from more and more business people who say they're getting requests for large orders from someone out of town, sometimes even out of the country.

Here's how the Check Scam works. You receive a check that looks legitimate. However, it's made out for far more than you expected. Then, you're told it was a mistake and to wire the difference back via wire transfer. So, you deposit the check into your bank account and wire the money, and just when you think the business transaction is over you get a call from your bank telling you the check is counterfeit.

Mason says you're left holding the bag, because the bank expects their money back.