think i got scammed on craigslist with a fake check for $1500, and spent half of it, what should i do?

Question

ok so i posted a part from my car on craigslist about a week 1/2 ago for sale for $40. since then iv been applying for some loans in the rage of $1500 so that i can finish restoring my car. i got an email from a guy regarding my craigslist posting, saying hes going to send me a check for my part posted on craigslist. i didnt really think much of it and didnt think i would ever get a check from him.

but a few days later i get a check in the mail for $1500, and since i had been applying for loans, i automaticly figured it was a loan. the name on the check said National Financial Services LLC which was on the upper left corner, and on the upper right corner it said JP morgan Chase Bank.

so the next day i deposited the money into my account, and started buying parts for my car. as of now iv spent around $730 of the $1500. today i got an email from the guy again saying he checked the delivery status, and said the check had been delivered to me. but i told him i never got a check, and he got mad and emailed back saying, DO NOT TELL ME THAT, i checked and it was delivered to you, here the tracking number, check for yourself. so i check and it did say delivered. then i realized wait i got the $1500 check by UPS. so im geussing it was a scam and a fake check from this guy, not a loan. and in a few days the bank will find out right?

so what should i do? and whats going to happen? am i going to end up having tp pay the bank back all the money i spent? even though i got scammed and had no idea?
is there any way out of this, to where i come out clean?

any help, or advise would be highly appreciated, im alittle scared on whats going to happen, because i absolutely do not have the money to pay back to the bank.
thank you.

Answer 1

Wait, what? huh? Some guy sent you a check for $1500 for a $40 part? Does that make sense to anyone else?



If this is true, just send him the part and jump for joy. If what you wrote is true, you got paid $1500 for a $40 part. Sounds fishy to me though!!



*Does his name match the name on the check??*



Did you apply for a loan from National Financial Services LLC?

Answer 2

National Financial Services LLC is a real company, integrated brokerage firm. JP Morgan Chase should be the bank that NFS, LLC bank with. I do not know which office the guy was from but the company offers different financial services. Did you have to complete any application to get the loan? Do you have a telephone number, first and last name of the man you were dealing with?

Just because the check came via UPS does not mean it is a scam. Most businesses that send checks will send via an overnight service. This provides a tracking number in case the check gets lost so they can check if it has been delivered, time/date, who signed for it. Most companies have accounts with this type of service so they can be billed. What I do not understand is why a brokerage firm would be sending a personal loan.Although, it is possible that they have a division that makes personal loans. Or, the man is at a high level, an officer of the bank, and can sign checks for company business but not personal Why did you lie to the man and say you did not get it? Were you trying to 'scam' them? Did you not understand that UPS could be tracked? Something does not sound right, on either side. If the check is not good, you will be responsible for paying the bank back the money that you have spent. Do not use any more of the money. Your bank will be able to tell you if the check cleared, about 3-5 days since the deposit. If it did not clear, the bank will contact you, with a notice. How did you pay for the items you purchased for your car? If you used a debit card or check, and the money did not clear, you will be getting NSF notices in the mail. Not only will you be charged a NSF fee from your bank but you should receive one from the place of business that you purchased your items from. This will put your account in the negative a lot more than just the $730. I would probably talk to your bank about the check and see when it should clear. This will give you the answer about the funds in your account and how you need to handle this.

To avoid a situation ,like this again, don't try to get a loan on the internet. Go to a bank or another financial service in your area that has a legitimate reputation.

Answer 3

This doesn't make sense. If he had sent you a check it would have been for $40, not $1500. Why would you assume he sent you a check for $1500? You need to start using your head here. Don't assume anything, and use the tracking number he gave you to see who signed for the delivery if it was signed - at the very least find out the disposition of what he claims. Go to your bank, tell them there's a problem with your deposit and request a copy of the deposit and request information from the bank the check was issued. Tell your bank what this guy is claiming. You are making the assumption that the check you cashed is what he sent - don't do that until you have more information. There's no reason he would have sent you more than you needed. Tell him flat out that you are researching his claim and he needs to wait until you can find out what happened. The only way it would be a scam is if you spent money before your deposit went through and then the check didn't clear. You deposited the check and it sounds like everything is fine, so you have your $1500. What you don't have is the $40 he claims he sent. He could only scam you if he asked for the $1500.

Answer 4

The bank may not be very sympathetic if you did not apply to National Financial Services for the loan. Scamming on Craig's list is common. Do not spend any more of the money. If the check bounces, and it very well may, go to the bank immediately. Explain what you said here, bring all documentation with you (the Craigslist ad, the application for the loan) and tell they you don't have the money to pay. But, you did use the money and you must have expected to pay back the loan you applied for. So tell the bank you will make the same payments to them that you planned to make for the loan. Depending on the loan officer, if you make a good faith offer to pay, they may accept it. Beware Craigslist. There are lots of crooks and scam artists on the list.

Answer 5

Well first you need to identify WHO you were attempting to get a loan from. If it was Chase, then you need to follow up with the bank to determine if the check was from them.



Now, are you saying that you were selling something for $40, but the guy sent you $1500? That's his own fault really.



Basically:



1) Follow up with your bank ASAP to determine your loan-status.

2) You aren't getting scammed. You got a check for legitimate money (the bank would not cash the check otherwise) Unless of course you haven't CASHED the check, and simply spent your own $$ for the 730.00, in which case, you need to determine if the check is legit.

3) ALWAYS double-check your checks before cashing them. If you get a check from a banking company, it is always going to have a significant amount of information attached inside the envelope.



Either way you need to follow up with both of these sources to determine who is telling the truth.

Answer 6

By Rights



if they guy send you the check for the part and u sent him the part nothing is wrong



you cant get scammed really you got the money, you just pay it back as a normal loan



you didnt get scammed you just go a bit confused between ur loan and selling



if you got the money as a loan you pay it back as a normal loan



it cant be a fake check if u got the money

Answer 7

You got scammed. His $1500 is never gonna clear the bank. Go to the bank and report the scam, maybe they'll have some sympathy for you, but I doubt it... however, they might be able to track this dude with all their 'magic powers'.



Sell the car for what you can get and give all the money to the bank.



Quit going on Craigs List... too much fraud on that site for anyone to even consider it legit except for very local trades.



GC

Answer 8

Before you do something crazy like go to the police, I suggest you contact the bank thats on that check and make sure it's valid. That's a must before you spend 1 penny of it. Depending whether that bank says its real or not then you can go from there. If it's fake report that person to the bank telling them he's writing fake checks with their bank name on it. Then contact your bank about the scam but ONLY after you find out that the check was forged and reported it to the dude's bank!!!

Answer 9

Hold on, if the guy sent you a check. How is it a scam? Did the money end up in your account? If he sent you a check and you deposited it, you did nothing wrong. Does the guy want you to pay him back?

Answer 10

Sounds cool