SCAM ALERT: Bad Checks and Bad Acts

Be on the watch for this kind of scam.....

A mid-Michigan member of the Michigan Lumber & Building Materials Association (MLBMA) regarding a $2800 check they'd received, along with a request to confirm the transaction. MLBMA researched the matter and determined it definitely is a scam.

The check was allegedly sent to the member from Bailey/Laurerman/Marketing/Communications in Lincoln, Nebraska. The check was drawn on a Tier One Bank account from Lincoln, Nebraska. It contained an official looking UPS Next Day Air tracking number. It was sent from the Kennedy Space Center making I look like the Space Center is a client of Bailey/Laurerman.

A message at the bottom of the correspondence informed the member:

"We would like you to email our secure payment department on payverifier2009@live.com. For your confirmation and more information before you continue the transaction, please don't ignore this email. Make sure you email us to the provided email and don't agree with any correspondent abuse about this email. This Payment Verification is to confirm you receive the payment successfully."

MLBMA determined this was a scam by determining the following:
1. There is a real P.R. firm in Lincoln, Nebraska by that name but it has one less letter in its name;
2. Tier One Bank is located in Lincoln but the address on the check is 20 digits off the real address;
3. The overall spelling and general approach is unprofessional and bogus. Canadian and Australian scammers have apparently been using this tactic with increasing frequency.

If you receive something like this do not respond to verify its receipt. The culprits have a way of using your response in the scam. Do not respond to the email. Delete it.