To the editor:

Cashier’s checks have a reputation for being safe, and that’s what makes them perfect for scams.

I recently listed a large furniture item for sale on a number of the local Lawrence and Topeka online sales websites. I received a prompt response from a lady indicating it was exactly what she was looking for and promising to send me a cashier’s check if I would hold it until she could arrange pick-up. She asked me to remove the item from the sales site.

Last week I received a USPS Priority Mail envelope with a $1,355 Cashier’s Check (and nothing else) in it. The check was drawn on a California bank. This week I received another email explaining the extra money was meant to cover the movers and that I should cash the check, keep $150 for myself and send the difference via Walmart-to-Walmart Money Transfer.

I contacted the USPS postal inspectors and they indicated it is a pretty common scam. The Walmart-to-Walmart aspect allows the crooks to walk in to any Walmart in the nation and pick up the money!

The local banks I contacted indicated that, since it is a cashier’s check, they are obligated to advance the money and it might be some time before it bounced and the person cashing it is responsible for repaying the bank!

The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has an informative Consumer Advisory (CA 2007-1) on “Avoiding Cashier’s Check Fraud.” That Advisory is available online.