If you are an instructor of any kind (music teacher, math tutor, etc) you might come across this scam.

You advertise your services in the newspapers or online and a client calls you. He introduces himself as a parent who sends his kid in vacation to your city. He wants his child to take lessons while he is there because the kid has an exam coming up or he’s playing in a school concert, or whatever. You agree on a price and he says he’ll send a check in advance. The scam has two variations.

Scenario 1. The check “mistakenly” has an amount much bigger then you negotiated (eg. $3,000 instead $300). In this case, you phone him up and he tells you not to worry, just put the check in your account, keep the fee and send him the difference.

Scenario 2. The day after you have received the check and deposited it in your account, the scammer calls you to tell you that the kid can’t come in vacation after all for some reason (got sick or in an accident) so the deal is off. In this case, he tells you he’s sorry to have taken your time and suggests you keep 10% and refund him the rest.

Of course, there is no kid who will show up to your door, even in the first case. If you deposit the check and send the cash to the scammer right away, you will be in big trouble with your bank. The check will bounce in a few business days and you will be in debt for thousands of dollars. Just rip the check and move on.

How to avoid: this is right up there with other scams where you are asked to put large checks into your account and send someone a refund. Nobody in their right senses, except scammers, will ask you to put large checks into your account. Get suspicious right away.