I received a cheque in the post for £2,500 three weeks ago.

[Adrian Brezhnev]

-but I've no idea who sent it.

Tis a most perplexing mystery. It arrived in a white envelope encased in carbon paper, with the envelope written by hand- but there was no correspondence to go with the cheque.

I am flattered that someone would chose to send me so much money  unsolicted, but my immediate instinct is that it is something to do with one of my Nigerian DVD enthusiast friends.

[butnut]

Surely the cheque must say the name of the account holder?

[Adrian Brezhnev]

Yes, but that only makes it more mysterious...

FOR AND ON BEHALF OF EQUIVAT LIMITED NO 2-ACCOUNT

Who knows, it could be a tax windfall, but the whole thing seems very dodgy.

[untitled_london]

just bank it pal

worst case scenario - they say its a dud cheque.

you must have read that story about the guy who banked a very sizable "advertisment" cheque for a laugh, only to have his bank and the corresponding bank actually cash it in.

[sick as a pike]

http://www.resonates.com/clients/clientpressreleases/multepay_040421.htm

In a second key partnership, MULTePAY has teamed with London-based Equivat to develop a new system that helps retailers refund VAT to non-EU shoppers visiting the UK.

[Make me smile]

does it have the encoding numbers along the bottom?

[Adrian Brezhnev]

worst case scenario - they say its a dud cheque

In an ideal world, yes.

The thing is, I have two accounts with Lloyds TSB, the bank whose computers like to say no.

My current account is fucked- if I bank the cheque and it clears, it will just halve the overdraft- so I can't make use of the money.

If I use the business account, and it bounces, I have to pay a bouncing fee.

I'm tempted to take it to one of those dodgy "Cheques Cashed here" shops that seem to be popping up in the cheaper streets of town with increasing regularity.

Edited to say: The encoding numbers along the bottom are "-blob-051862"-blob-   56"'0029-blob-:   35751355"-blob-

[gazzyk1ns]

Yeah Cash Converters do that if there's one near you... though I've never done it, I assume they take a massive chunk of it, or something equally unfair. Still, free money...

[Adrian Brezhnev]

Yes, there's a Cash Converters in my neighbourhood, and I would imagine in everyone's neighbourhood these days. I've got a feeling that they charge around 4%.

Worth a try...

[RFT]

worst case scenario - they say its a dud cheque

In an ideal world, yes.

The thing is, I have two accounts with Lloyds TSB, the bank whose computers like to say no.

My current account is fucked- if I bank the cheque and it clears, it will just halve the overdraft- so I can't make use of the money.

If I use the business account, and it bounces, I have to pay a bouncing fee.

you're forgetting the third option- use the cheque to open a new account at another bank...

slightly more ballache than taking it to cash converters, but without the hefty charge,...

[untitled_london]

Yes, there's a Cash Converters in my neighbourhood, and I would imagine in everyone's neighbourhood these days. I've got a feeling that they charge around 4%.

Worth a try...

errrrm - 10% iirc (if not 20% at the worse versions)

thats probably LOL NO best way to do it if you want to avoid a bounce fee.
they'll want a scant version of ID and then your good to go.

that said tho if you can stomach a 30£ hit at worst then i'd say halve your overdraft - thats a good risk imo

you lose 250's to the sketchy converter or you lose 30's to the bounce
either way - you stand to make 2250 (minimum) by sticking it in somewhere

i'd play mate - i really would.

[Adrian Brezhnev]

I think you're right.

[Cerys]

... something to do with one of my Nigerian DVD enthusiast friends.

Have you been indulging in lucrative foreign investments, then?  Eh?  Eh?

[Adrian Brezhnev]

Possibly!




Actually no- this all started when I tried selling DVD recorders via Amazon Marketplace just before Christmas. 90% of my customers claim to be from Nigeria for some reason.

[Adrian Brezhnev]

I prefer not to reply to my own postings, but I thought I ought to share this with you....

hello,
     I got to know that the amount issued by my accountant is more than that amount required for the payment of the goods, it was due to mix up of information transfer from my secetary to my accountant . Also the cheque issued of amount 2,500 pounds was described to be enclose in a carbon paper in an envelope, instead of 360 pounds. so please , after cashing the cheque, remove your payment and send the balance to my accountant through western union transfer, here is the information...McCARTHY WILLIAMS, 5 MAID CROFT RD,CROWLEY, OXFORD,uk. send the control number, security question and answer. sorry for the inconviniency.the cheque will get to you by today or tommorrow.here is the shipping address;8 maid croft rd, crowley, oxford, ox4 3en
                                                 kind regards."

[weekender]

I'd cash the cheque in a separate account anyway and not bother sending any money back, just to see what happens.

[Timmay]

Accountants that use Western Union? Uhh, I don't need to say it, but this has scam written all over it in bright red paint. But fuck em, cash it anyway, in another account.

[monkey]

It's a scam. I remember reading something in a computer magazine a couple of weeks ago about a guy who was selling a car and the buyer paid more than he should have. Can't remember the details now of how it all worked, but it is a scam.

[slim]

send the control number, security question and answer

I'd say that's probably the scam right there...

Cash it and keep it on the off chance it's honoured I reckon.

[Adrian Brezhnev]

With my life right now being such a tangled and complicated mess... and the fact that I like to see connections in everything.... I am starting to wonder if my wife's boyfriend has connections with Nigeria.
It was, after all, my wife who painted the letters M U G on my forehead night after night while I was asleep. She has made it her career to extort money from men, allegedly, and knowing her better than most, I wouldn't put this past her.

[wheatgod]

is it possible that the "sender" of the cheque has read your postings here...?

[TraceyQ]

How would the "sender" get his home address though?

<gets worried>

[Adrian Brezhnev]

Well, given that there are just 2820 registered Verbwhores at the time of writing, i.e. about a half of one percent of one percent of the UK population... and the fact that the "businessman" quite possibly lives in Nigeria- I would say that it is unlikely that the sender has read these postings.

You guys are the only people so far that I have told about the mysterious cheque.

Does anyone recognise the signature on this?

The photo was taken this afternoon, minutes before I went in to Lloyds TSB to pay it in to my current account.

[Purple Tentacle]

Is it possible that when you cash the cheque, they will have your details for fuckery?

[Timmay]

I don't think it's possible to find out where a cheque was paid into, not unless you actually work for the bank.

Unless it bounces, and then the cheque gets sent back to the payee, but I don't know what gets sent back to the payer.

[Adrian Brezhnev]

Is it possible that when you cash the cheque, they will have your details for fuckery?

That was a concern I had- that this is some kind of trap, but I don't think they can get details about me from my bank.

No, all I think that is happening with all the "sorry, my accountant wrote a cheque for £2,500 instead of £360, so please transfer the difference via Western Union" stuff is that they think that the moment I had paid the cheque in, I would skip along to Western Union and get them to wire £2,140.

It goes without saying that I'm not doing anything whatsoever until the cheque has cleared- and even then, I probably won't rush in to doing anything.

[butnut]

Have you seen this?

http://www.hoax-slayer.com/overpayment-scam.html

An internet search for 'Cheque scams' was quite interesting.

I think, as long as you don't do anything, you should be fine. It seems highly likely that the cheque will be rejected by the bank. Just don't send them (the fraudsters, not the bank!) any money or goods.

[Space ghost]

But .... who ever sent the cheque has your home address . They might come and get you !

[Adrian Brezhnev]

No, they only have my office address- and that's only a virtual office, i.e. they accept all your mail for you and have a telephone answering service- leaving me free to build my e-biz empire from wherever in the world I happen to be.

[Alberon]

Offer to rip the cheque up and return it by registered post so they can send a cheque for the right amount. See what they say.