YOU ARE HERE: LAT HomeCollections  Beware of fake-check scams
Many consumers don't realize that if they deposit a phony check
into their bank account and then draw on those funds, they are
liable for the money, even if they've been swindled.  May 31,
2009|Kathy M. Kristof  The woman ahead of me at the bank looked
grim.  Could the teller help figure out whether this check was
good? The woman had received it as payment for a "mystery
shopping" job, and she suspected it was a fake.  The teller
didn't know either.  Last week, the Consumer Federation of
America, a Washington, D.C.-based consortium of U.S. consumer
groups, launched a task force to deal with fake checks and give
consumers details about the warning signs.  Roughly one of every
three adults has been approached by someone offering a fake
check at one point, the group said.  About 2% of those are taken
for amounts averaging between $3,000 and $4,000 each.  "Most
people are honest and think that other people are too," said
Susan Grant, the federation's