Flynrider
Phoenix,#2Consumer Comment
Tue, June 12, 2012
Did you read my post? You are missing the point of the phony check scam.
"This is a phishing scam. What they are after is your bank account number."
No it's not. What they are after is untraceable cash.
You go deposit the check; the bank will usually front you from $100-$500 until the check clears...which it NEVER will."
You got this part right.
" It will be returned "insufficient funds" or "no such account found" but by then, you're out the money, plus fees your bank might charge you, and now the scammers know your account number."
This is where you go off the rails. Do you think if I gave you a phony check and you deposited that check, that it would be returned to ME? It's a phony check! It will initially be sent to the bank of origin, which will reject it and send it back to the victim's bank. The scammer will never see that check.
Here's how it really works. The scammer sends a phony check and advises the victim to deposit it. Then the scammer comes up with a reason that the victim must use the funds to send a Western Union or Moneygram transfer (ostensibly to pay taxes or some other bogus reason) in order to receive even more money. The victim send the untraceable cash transfer to the scammer and is left holding the bag when the check is ultimately rejected and returned to their bank.
Simple enough?
Just Interested
Harrisburg,#3Consumer Comment
Mon, June 11, 2012
Alert: Aflac Name Used In Counterfeit Check Scam
Published: Monday, Jun. 11, 2012 - 11:01 am
COLUMBUS, Ga., June 11, 2012 -- /PRNewswire/ -- It has been reported that Aflac's name is being used in a fraudulent financial scam. This scam involves checks bearing the Aflac name and brand, leading consumers to believe they have won a sweepstakes. It instructs recipients to cash the check and wire funds to offset international taxes prior to collecting further winnings.
We urge consumers to disregard any letter or check that suggests a promotional reward bearing the Aflac name the letter and the check are bogus, and the check will not be honored by any financial institution. Aflac would never require policyholders to wire funds prior to obtaining legitimate claims payments.
Aflac has been in contact with the FBI, the United States Secret Service and the Better Business Bureau regarding this scam.
Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/06/11/4553756/alert-aflac-name-used-in-counterfeit.html#storylink=cpy
NoSoap
New York City,#4Consumer Suggestion
Mon, June 11, 2012
This has been in the news lately...some scammer somewhere got ahold of a REAL Aflac check and is sending them out to people...here's how the scam goes (and this has happened to many other large corporations):
You get a check, out of the blue, from Aflac or some other legitimate sounding company. The check looks real, has watermarks on it, etc etc. It is usually for a couple of thousand dollar and is accompanied by a letter stating "you are going to receive a much larger check very soon...we are sending THIS check to help pay for the taxes on the larger amount. Please deposit it immediately and let us know, so that we can begin processing the other check as soon as possible."
This is a phishing scam. What they are after is your bank account number. You go deposit the check; the bank will usually front you from $100-$500 until the check clears...which it NEVER will. It will be returned "insufficient funds" or "no such account found" but by then, you're out the money, plus fees your bank might charge you, and now the scammers know your account number.
This happened to me, but not with an Aflac check; it was another huge corporation, but I cannot remember the name, since it happened about 5 years ago. I happened to read an article that this was happening with Aflac so I thought I'd pass along the info to you.
Be careful out there!
Flynrider
Phoenix,#5Consumer Comment
Tue, May 22, 2012
I'm not weighing in on whether or not this check is bogus (not enough information), but I did want to address something the previous poster mentioned.
" Whoever wrote that bogus check to you know has your bank account number. I suggest you close out that account immediately. "
How exactly is it possible that the writer of a bogus check would get the victim's bank account number? Do you think that the bogus check will magically be returned to the bogus check writer by the banking system? Think about it.
NoSoap
New York City,#6Consumer Comment
Tue, May 22, 2012
From what you've wrote, I assume you are an Aflac policyholder and filed a claim, since you state you received a claim check you "were expecting."
You therefore would have mailed your claim to Aflac's real headquarters in Columbus, GA. Why didn't you notice that the claim came from someplace that is clearly NOT the company headquarters?
You are posting on a website; I assume you can access the internet. A quick google search would have given you the correct name and PHONE number for Aflac.
There are a lot of scammers out there who will sent you fake checks that look like they come from big companies. Ive gotten checks that are "supposedly" from Amazon, Bank of America, Chase Bank...and they are ALL bogus. It's not hard to figure out.
You fell for a scam, but it had nothing to do with Aflac. They're a big, public company, so unfortunately, they are a target for unscrupulous people.
Whoever wrote that bogus check to you know has your bank account number. I suggest you close out that account immediately.
Sorry this happened to you, but again, you were NOT ripped off by Aflac.
Standard Disclaimer: I do not work FOR Aflac and I don't get reimbursed or paid for any of these posts. I AM a policyholder, and a happy one.