Despite today's reliance on technology and large amounts of today's banking done electronically, cheques remain a favored method of payment with banks still processing millions each year.

Because they are such a common method of payment, cheques are a targeted source of income for scammers. Cheques remain popular with the senior generation, making it important to continue to encourage awareness for this type of scam.

Fraudulent cheques are as abundant as they are difficult to trace.  The name and account information are likely fraudulent unless the scammer is using a set of stolen cheques.

The scammer will make an offer on an item, which the seller in turn accepts. The scammer will then provide the cheque with an amount that is more than what the agreed upon selling price is.  They will try to rationalize and explain that the extra funds are for another purpose, or claim that it was a simple mistake.

They may tell the seller that the cheque can be cashed, so that the funds can be used for shipping costs, or the scammer may suggest that the seller give them a refund.   As cheques take time to clear, it will be too late before the seller realizes that the cheque is fraudulent.