Checks

When Midge Laurin, of Chicago, Illinois, mailed out a $30 check, she had no idea it would be intercepted by a scammer and written out to someone else to the tune of $9,475. Check-washing scams like this are on the rise and can leave victims struggling to reclaim their lost funds for months. Here’s what you need to know about these scams and how to avoid them.

How the scams

Scammers never stop dreaming up new ways to con you out of your money-and reinventing old tricks that work. The fake-check scam is a tried-and-true scheme with dozens of variations. One such variation, the car-wrap scam, has recently become more widespread and successful.

Here’s all you need to know about the car-wrap scam and how you can protect yourself from becoming