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Post Office Educates Hoosiers On Internet Fraud

Last updated on Monday, October 8, 2007

(UNDATED) - The U.S. Post Office and the Postal Inspection Service are coordination a partnership with 20 public and private organizations to educate the public about fraud that comes over your computer.

Indianapolis Postal Inspector Laura Carter says there are a variety of different scams, but each one involves a bogus check, and lost money for the consumer. She says a victim might be overpaid for something they sold on eBay, and the buyer might ask for a refund of the overpayment.

In the scam version, that original check from the buyer is bogus, and the victim loses the money he sent.

Another variation might involve a love interest in a foreign country who promises to come to the U.S. if the victim will just cash a check for them.

And, she says we've all heard about the emails purporting to be from Nigeria involving large sums of money the sender promises to split with their victim.

She says if you get a check from a stranger, especially one overseas, it may take two weeks for that check to clear. She says anything at all suspicious should be taken to your bank for an investigation, and never count on the money going into your account until the bank tells you it's cleared.

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