Check fraud.

In plain English

Check fraud covers scams that use forged, altered, or stolen checks. A common version exploits a timing gap: when you deposit a check, your bank often makes the funds available within a day or two, but the check can take longer to truly clear. A scammer sends a fake check, asks you to deposit it and quickly send part of the money back or on to someone else, and when the check later bounces, the bank reclaims the full amount, leaving you responsible for what you already sent. Real payments never require you to send back a portion of a check you were given.

01Why it matters

Because banks make deposited funds available before a check truly clears, a fake check can look real for days, so knowing that available does not mean cleared prevents the classic send-money-back trap.

02The math, step by step

You are sent a check for more than expected and asked to deposit it and wire back the difference. The funds appear in your account, so it seems safe, but days later the check bounces and the bank pulls back the full amount. The money you wired is gone, and you owe it. Available funds are not the same as a cleared check.

03What this is NOT

04Receipts

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