Scam Alert Important: Do not send money back to anyone who "overpays" you.

Orange Housing wants to help you protect yourself from scam artists who have found a new way to steal your money. They send you a fake or stolen check for more than they owe you and ask for you to send some of the money back. Many people think that they are protecting themselves by asking their bank if the check cleared. Unfortunately, the banks are answering "Yes" even when the check didn't clear. The scammers usually ask you to send the money by Western Union so that by the time you discover that their check was fake or stolen, you have no way to reclaim your money from them. This scam is not limited just to Orange Housing's web site. Millions of people at web sites across the world have been contacted and targetted by this scam. We hope that we can help prevent you from being a victim of this fraud here or at any other web site.

How to protect yourself:

If someone overpays, it's almost certainly a scam. Don't rely on your bank to tell you the check cleared. Call the issuing bank (the name of the bank on the check) and explain the situation. They will tell you if the check is good. Don't send money via Western Union to someone you don't know. Ever.

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