Scam Detective
Scam verdict · Educational pattern check
Scam Detective research desk · Updated October 2026
Fake until it fully clears

Is This Check Real? The Money Showing Up Proves Nothing — That's the Scam

Treat every unexpected check as fake until it fully clears — and clearing takes weeks, not days. Money available in your account proves nothing: by law, banks make deposited funds available quickly, while a fake can take weeks to surface — and when it does, you owe the bank back whatever you sent on. Never forward money from a deposited check, and don't rely on money from a check unless you know and trust the person who wrote it.

Educational verdict from documented scam patterns — not a live report. For a 0–100 risk score on the exact link in your hand, run the checker.

Check a URL freeRead the full guide
The record · Quoted verbatim

Straight from the source

The verdict stands on the public record — the line below is quoted verbatim from the source named under it.

“By law, banks have to make deposited funds available quickly. Even if you see the funds in your account, that doesn't mean it's a good check.”

— FTC, “How To Spot, Avoid, and Report Fake Check Scams.”

The durable question

Why this question never goes away

In a fake check scam, someone you don't know asks you to deposit a check — usually for more than they owe, sometimes several thousand dollars — and send some of the money back or on to someone else, always with a good story. The FTC's catalog of costumes: a mystery-shopper “job” evaluating gift-card or wire services, a personal-assistant gig buying gift cards for a “boss,” a car-wrap advertising offer paying you to forward money to “decal installers,” a sweepstakes “win” with taxes or fees to pay, or an online buyer who “accidentally” overpays. The trap is banking mechanics: fake checks look real even to bank employees — some are real checks written on stolen accounts — and by law banks make deposited funds available quickly, while a fake can take weeks to surface. By then the scammer has the money you sent, and you owe the bank back. The FTC's rule: don't rely on money from a check unless you know and trust the person.

The checklist

Five red flags — any one is enough

A check for more than the agreed amount, with instructions to send back the difference — the FTC: you can bet it's a scam.
A “job” whose first assignment is depositing a check and buying gift cards or wiring money (mystery shopper, personal assistant).
A prize or sweepstakes “win” arriving as a check with taxes, shipping, or fees to pay — real prizes don't charge you.
A car-wrap advertising offer that pays you to forward money to “decal installers” — the installers aren't real.
Trusting a check because the funds show in your account — availability is legally required to be fast; fake discovery takes weeks.
What to do now

Your next three moves

1
Verify through a channel you open yourself — call the bank the check is drawn on at a number you look up yourself, and never use the contact details that arrived with the check, the letter, or the listing. Funds showing in your account is not verification; availability is legally required to be fast.
2
Refuse the ask: never send money back or on from a deposited check — no overpayment “difference,” no gift cards bought for a “boss,” no taxes or fees on a “prize,” nothing forwarded to “decal installers.” Don't rely on money from a check unless you know and trust the person.
3
Report the check to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service at uspis.gov/report, and your state attorney general — and paste any link the sender gave you into the $2 instant check for a 0–100 scam risk score.
Instant URL Check · $2, one-time
Holding the actual message? Check the exact link, number, or sender.
Paste it into the instant check — free risk signal in 60 seconds, then the full report for $2: a 0–100 scam risk score, a plain-English verdict, the top 5 red flags found, and a 3-step what-to-do-now list. No subscription.
Run the $2 instant check
Follow-up questions

People also ask

The money from a check shows in my account — doesn't that mean it cleared?

No — that's the trap. By law, banks have to make deposited funds available quickly, but a fake can take weeks to surface. When it does, the bank takes the money back — and you owe back whatever you sent on from it.

A buyer overpaid me by check and wants the difference back — is that legit?

No — a check for more than the agreed amount, with instructions to send back the difference, gets the FTC's flat verdict: you can bet it's a scam. The overpayment is the hook; the “difference” you send is real money.

Is a mystery-shopper job that starts with depositing a check real?

No — a “job” whose first assignment is depositing a check and buying gift cards or wiring money (mystery shopper, personal assistant) is a documented FTC costume. Same for car-wrap offers paying you to forward money to “decal installers” — the installers aren't real.

How long should I wait before trusting a check?

Weeks, not days — and even then the FTC's rule is the real one: don't rely on money from a check unless you know and trust the person. Fake checks look real even to bank employees; some are real checks written on stolen accounts.

Related verdicts

People asking this also asked

Is it a scam if a new job sends me a check to buy equipment from their vendor?Yes — scamIs it a scam if a Marketplace buyer overpays and wants the difference back?Yes — scamI was told I won a prize but have to pay taxes or fees first — is it a scam?Yes — scamDid You Really Win Publishers Clearing House? If They Called, You Didn'tReal company — fake call
← Browse all 218 answers
$2, one time
No subscription, no account, nothing to cancel.
Verdict in minutes
Full report on screen and as a PDF, usually within minutes.
Honest verdicts
If it looks safe, we say so — a clear “safe” is worth $2 too.
Got a link of your own?

Sixty seconds of checking beats a four-figure mistake.

Paste any URL for a free instant preview — the full 0–100 report is $2, one-time. No subscription.

Check a URL free
Spot the scam before it spots you.
For businesses · $19, one-time
Is someone impersonating your brand?

The costume in these scams — a lookalike domain, a copied storefront, a spoofed sender — is exactly what the brand impersonation audit researches for your company: lookalike domains, typosquats, and copycat sites trading on your name, each with evidence and a risk rating, plus a ready-to-send takedown-request template.

Audit my brand — $19
Free brand scan first — you only pay for the full audit.