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Travelers Check Scam Targets Nannies

Marcvh 1, 2006
Nannies beware! An international scam targets individuals who post online ads offering nanny services.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett said the thief or thieves will make contact with consumers by searching for and then responding, via e-mail, to online websites, advertisements or message boards that offer temporary or long-term nanny services.

The Attorney General's Bureau of Consumer Protection recently heard from a young Pittsburgh woman who said she lost more than $4,600 in the scam, after posting her ad for nanny services on www.pittsburghnanny.com.

The alleged victim said a man who claimed to be from England responded to her ad stating that he needed a nanny to take care of his daughter while he was in Pittsburgh for three weeks on business.

The alleged con artist said he would send her money in advance to cover his daughter's food and clothing expenses during her stay. The woman said she received five travelers checks, each made out for $925, totaling $4,625.

Soon after the checks were sent, the man claimed that his daughter had become very ill and their trip had been canceled. He asked that the money be sent back, so his daughter could receive medical treatment.

The woman told investigators she was unable to cash the checks so she deposited them into her account.

She said the man instructed her to wire part of the money to the medical doctor in England who was caring for his daughter and the remainder to his friend in Nigeria. She said several days after wiring the funds via Western Union, she learned that the travelers checks were counterfeit and the bank was holding her liable for the funds.

"The victim in this case was thinking only about ensuring that a sick child gets needed medical treatment," Corbett said. "That makes her and others in the child care business prime targets for this particular scam. We saw this exact pattern with con artists passing phony cashier's checks to purchase items from consumers on eBay or other online auction sites."

"I strongly recommend that consumers wait, not days but weeks, even if they're told that the checks have cleared their banks, before wiring money back to those interested in buying goods or services from you," Corbett said.

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