Scammers requesting inspections

I received a request on Yelp for an inspection. Person ended up texting me and gave me San Jose address for detailed inspection. Said they were military and could they send check ahead of time. Received cashiers check from Navy Fed. Credit Union and I deposited it. It cleared actually. Something just seemed off so I searched and got phone number for persons name actually on Cashiers check. Person answered and said yes they bank with Navy Fed but knew nothing of home inspection. So…. This morning the (Scammer) day of inspection asked could I mail a money order minus $ 250 for my troubles, that they wanted to cancel inspection…
Be Aware. Scammers targeting inspection companies now.

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I hope the other victim was able to stop the fraud on their side as well. Thanks for the info.

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We get about of 3 of those requests a week.

We just don’t accept checks through the mail or any payments over the actual fee.

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Yeah. Won’t be doing that again. I’m ex Navy so I fell for the whole thing. Almost

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Just so everyone knows…Anytime someone you have never met wants to buy something from you or pay for your services with a cashiers check, it is a 99.99% chance it is a scam. With so many ways to pay people in a secure fashion in 2021, the words cashier check should be a red flag.

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I only accept personal checks in person. Credit cards online. No swiping in the field.

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Yeah. It was someone " who said " they were in the Navy. I’m Ex- Navy. And they said it would be a check. Ended up being a Navy Federal Credit Union Cashiers Check. It was a pretty thorough scam. Almost…got me.
Fool me once shame on you. Fool me twice…

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Those are tricky. I received one years ago and got burned. The check was a fraud and the bank took a few days to catch it.

I was told if you receive a cashiers check, take it to the issuing bank immediately. They will confirm or deny the check.

I do this when I receive a personal check, I immediately cash the check between my inspection and report submittal.

+1 on this. A huge misconception is that because it’s a cashier’s check, it is good once deposited. Even in this day and age, it takes a few days (or even weeks) for a bum check to bounce. And if it’s drawn on a legitimate account, it make take even longer.

The police detectives I’ve sent bogus checks to have said these days it is mostly chains. E.g. you are likely getting a check from a victim, and passing your new check on to a new victim, with the scammer pulling the strings.

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These three things will make me suspicious every time.

  1. They will only communicate via text.
  2. They offer to mail me a check.
  3. They make sure to let me know that they’re current or former military.
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We just had a similar experience. The first red flag was text-only, the second red flag was the name was Jamal Johnson - look at the check, this name appears “No-Where”, third red flag “what is your inspection window?” We don’t have one! Never heard of a real estate deal without an inspection clause window. We don’t usually accept checks, but made an exception and advised them we would not be able to perform the inspection until 5 days post check clearing (a nice time frame to wait for the clawback from the financial institution).
So then it gets even better: They send a check for $1,880.00 which is higher than the inspection fee quoted. They text the day after the check was deposited advising they sent the check that was supposed to get paid to the moving company and if we would deduct our fee and pay the rest to the movers - Sorry Jamal, that tattoo on my forehead is just age wrinkles, not an indicator I’m a stupid idiot.
So we are out $12 bad check fee - better than $1,880.00
PS: We did call the issuing bank as well, and they stated there was something wrong with the check information provided. Surprisingly, this one did bounce pretty quickly.

Check.pdf (213.9 KB)

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It’s getting so bad Nachi may have to set up a course on identifying and avoiding scams.

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LOL!

If it sounds too good to be true it probably is. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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CLASS DISMISSED!!

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Hang on Richard, you missed one final point before class gets out: In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash!

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Hello, Please be on the alert. Scammers are texting with urgent requests for inspections. I just received one from 209 232-7927.

There’s a scam scheme attached that all should be aware of ([See Internachi Article] (For Property Inspectors: Am I Being Scammed? - InterNACHI®))

best regards,
Dana Wilson Home Inspection Services Office Administrator

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