My mother swears by travelers’ checks. They are a vital part of her travel itinerary: make airline reservations, pack toothbrush, pick-up travelers’ checks… If you routinely use travelers’ checks –be warned–you could be a target for scam artists.
The scam involves a computer and a person who plays on the sympathy of vacationers who are regularly use travelers’ checks. It starts with an email message asking for help cashing travelers’ checks. The person sending the email claims to be stranded in another country and is unable to use his/her travelers’ checks. The email plays on the emotions of travelers who have used these checks before. The scam artist pleads with the recipient of the email to put him/herself in the position of the scam artist and proceeds to beg for help in cashing the checks and wiring the money back. In exchange for the help, the scam artist promises to give anyone who will help him ten percent of the proceeds. Once a person caves into the scam, he/she overnight these checks, usually via Federal Express or UPS, in amounts that have typically been for $500 or $2,500. If you fall victim to the scam and cash these checks and wire the money to the scam artist, you quickly learn that not only are you out the money, but that you may be arrested for being party to a crime.
Law enforcement officers suggest if you receive this type of e-mail, do not respond. If you feel compelled to respond and get involved you should at least check things out more thoroughly with consumer organizations and authorities. What’s more, if you do respond and get the checks in the mail, don’t cash them until you make sure that they are legitimate. You can do so by taking them to your bank or the issuer of checks to verify their authenticity.
My advice: delete the email. While you may know better than to do business with someone from outside of the country who you do not know, an older member of your family (I’m talking about my grandma) may not be as suspect. Unfortunately, if you find out that you’ve been duped, it is virtually impossible to track down these criminals and to take legal action against them.
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