INDIANAPOLIS -- When it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. That's something Thomas Sutherland learned the hard way when saw an ad online to make some quick cash by putting a company's logo on his car.
Sutherland agreed, and they sent him a check for $1,950. They told him to send back $1,550 and said he'd receive a payment of $400 each week.
"You see a check and in the desperate need, you know, I've got responsibilities. I need some money," said Sutherland.
It turns out the check that he deposited was a fake. Now he's out nearly $1,600 with no way of getting it back.
"The bank was my safety net. If it wasn't for the bank I probably would've investigated if further," said Sutherland.
"If someone is going to send you some money upfront and then they're going to ask you to pay a portion of that back, that's a big red flag," said Tim Maniscalo, President, Better Business Bureau.
Maniscalo says this is one of the most common employment scams the BBB sees. And it's virtually impossible to get your money back.
"When you present that check to the bank, the bank essentially is holding you as the depositor responsible for that. So they're going to take your check, they're going to deposit it into your account as if it is a good check, and then when it actually goes through the system, then the bank's going to come back to you and say hey, that check wasn't any good," said Maniscalo.
READ |Better Business Bureau tips on catching fake check scams
Now he owes the bank money because he didn't have enough to make the withdrawal.
"I said, well what are we going to do about this? And he said, there's nothing we can do," said Sutherland.
Old National Bank says they will work with Sutherland on a payment plan.
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