If you’re a wedding photographer looking for work or simply advertising your trade on Craigslist, here’s a heads up on the latest scam that’s been going around. Essentially, this is just a new twist on the classic Nigerian Prince email, but it’s not quite as obvious.
To start with, the email appears to be from someone wanting to hire you for a job. You’ll see the full information on the requirements and probably even info on what they’re planning to pay. At this point, everything looks completely legitimate.
Payment is where things start to get weird. The sender will say that they’re out of country and will only be reachable by email, but that a relative of theirs is going to send you a payment up front. If you agree, you’ll get a nice big cashier’s check for more than you asked for in the first place.
And there’s the trap. You’ll take the check into the bank and the scammer will ask you to send the extra money back. The bank will find out the check is fake and you’ll be out some money while the scammer has already cashed your check.
PetaPixel has a bit more info, as well as a full email from one of these scammers.
