GREENSBORO, N.C. — “They emailed my piano professor, saying that they were looking for a pianist to play for their wedding,” said Teresa Shunk.
Teresa is a college student studying music. Weddings are a way to make spending money.
Like most gigs, she emails back and forth with the person who asked her professor for a pianist. Details were discussed and a check was mailed.
“Once they sent me the check, they told me that they had accidentally written me a check that was too large," said Teresa.
So, get this. They hire her to play the wedding. They send her a check in advance, but it was $1,900, and the settled amount to play the wedding was $200. Teresa was asked to send the overpayment of $1,700 back by PayPal.
Teresa deposited the check, sent the extra money to the PayPal account, and poof, the bank then told her the check bounced. It was fake.
This overpayment tactic is classic in the scam world. Anytime someone overpays you and then asks you to send some of the money back or to another party, it's a scam.
What really is different about this scam, it was so personal.
“They do their research, and it's all out there on the web,” said U.S. Postal Inspector Kathy Woliung.
She says it's not hard to find out personal details, no matter who you are. So, it’s not enough to be able to spot the scams that are generic, you also need to be aware of overall scam tactics so when it’s a personal and targeted scam, you’ll know the red flags.