I got a counterfeit check and cashed it at the currency exchange?


Currency Exchange
queester asked:


I received payment for an odd job translating a paper I did for someone, I cashed the check at a currency exchange. I had no idea the check was counterfeit until they called me two weeks later saying I was responsible for paying back the 3300 dollars they gave me. I am not able to pay this back, and am wondering if they can press charges against me or what will happen??

This entry was posted on Monday, September 28th, 2009 at 12:00 am and is filed under Law & Ethics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

4 Responses to “I got a counterfeit check and cashed it at the currency exchange?”

  1. wizjp Says:

    reported every day here; one of the western union scams. You presented a counterfit instrument; it’s bank fraud and you do owe it and if you don’t get it right, the next stop is the police. There are also a dozen people a day here dealing with the police; what other recourse does the exchange have if you refer to pay? wizjp

  2. laughter_every_day Says:

    Only the DA can press criminal charges. They can report it to the cops, who will send the report to the DA who will decide whether to prosecute and try to prove that you knew it was forged or counterfeit. Even if you didn’t know, you are civilly liable for the money. An endorsement on the check is your guarantee of the check. If you didn’t want to guarantee it, you could have gone to the issuing bank and cashed it without recourse, but because you endorsed it you are liable to the currency exchange, just as the currency exchange was liable to its bank, just as the exchange’s bank was liable to the issuing bank. Of course, the person who signed it is also liable to you but that is your problem, not someone else’s laughter_every_day

  3. open4one Says:

    I don’t know if they can prove a criminal charge against you or not. If the check was made out to you, it is a bit less likely. If you accepted a check that was made out to someone else and signed over to you, you look like you knew or should have known something wasn’t right.

    As far as the check cashing service, you almost certainly signed the check on the back. The act of signing it on the back means that you are guaranteeing the check, so they are civilly entitled to the money back from you. open4one

  4. krystle B Says:

    i am currently dealing with same thing and yes they can i dont think i should be held responsible they should go after the person who made it krystle B

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