I think I just nearly got scammed? (Question about the check)

Hi, so I opened my college email account a few months ago and found a job offer for a personal shopper. It payed 600 dollars per job and it had my college’s logo and a seemingly official email with my institutions name so I went for it since it didn’t ask anything but my name, address (postal) and email.

As I’m reading around this forum and Reddit I’ve come to the slow realization that I’m very likely in the process of being scammed as they’ve sent me a 2,000 + dollar check without completing any assignments. I looked back on the email account that sent the initial job offer and I just noticed it was a student account, not faculty. (This is so embarrassing).

I should also mention that the person who contacted me didn’t say which company I’d be working for or anything except a unique ID code. The check arrived with the name of a company not linked to mystery shoppers and no other information or details. And yes, it was a cashiers check.

They stopped communicating for days and their excuse was an accident that caused them to lose their phone.

My question is what do I do with the check? Do I send it back or just let it be? I’m already looking into reporting the initial email and such.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/07/2024 11:10PM by Mossyventure.

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I hate this happened to you, but my suggestion is just don't cash the check. Have they asked you to send them any money for any reason?
Thank you for your reply. No, they asked me to deposit the check so they can send me a letter with further instructions on how to complete the assignment through email.
I think once you deposit it, they will probably give you some kind of reason to send them back some money. Then the check will probably bounce and you will be left having to give the bank their 2K plus any fees they charged you and you will never hear from the company again.

I would not cash it unless the check is written on the bank I am cashing it at and they can check at that time and see if the money is in the account.
I would reach out to your college's business office and give them the details.

Happiness is not a goal; it is a by-product. Eleanor Roosevelt
Do NOT deposit the check. It will bounce, but it might take a week to do so. If they mailed you the check, contact the US Postal Inspectors who have the authority to shut down the mailing address. This is 100% a scam. Report it to the police, who will also tell you it is a scam. You are lucky in that most people who come here with a similar story have already lost thousands of dollars.

Shopping Southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware above the canal, and South Jersey since 2008
@NM1962 What an I missing here. The OP is asking for info on one of these cheque cashing scams. How does that connect to the post about gardening? And how is a post a scam?

@NM1962 wrote:

Speaking of scams, this morning the post about gardening was deleted. Right SA?
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