A Bad Check

The Check’s in the Mail, but You Dare Not Cash It!

Written by Cory Collins

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Matt 4:8-9

Early one September morning my cell phone rang. I took the call, from the 202 area code (Washington, DC). The man said he was a Postal Service agent, and he asked, “Is this Cory Collins?” “Yes.” “Did you use your Discover Card ending in xxxx to open a Click-N-Ship account this morning?” I was suspicious. I said, “No!” and ended the conversation. The fact is, I don’t even have a Discover Card. What was going on?

I phoned the USPS fraud office later and confirmed that the agent was legitimate. I called Discover to be sure no one had opened an account there in my name. I checked my credit report for the same reason. All was clear. Whew! I let it go. I hoped it was over. I knew, however, that someone had obtained my name, cell number, and (likely) home address.

Then, about ten days later, a large Priority Mail envelope arrived at the house. It was “returned to sender,” and it came to me as if I had sent it! Someone had used my name and address, pretending to be me, and had mailed this envelope to a “Bill Roach” in Ventura, CA. The crook (the real sender) had entered Mr. Roach’s address incorrectly. The envelope could not be delivered, so it was sent back to the designated sender – me.

Inside was a cashier’s check, drawn on the Mountain West Bank in Coeur d’Alene, ID, in the amount of $2,850. The remitter was named as Mathew Anderson, and the payee was Bill Roach (as above). It looked perfect, even including the watermark and other top security features. I phoned that bank and described the story and the check. The officer asked for the remitter’s name and then said, “We know about other checks just like this one, with this same fake remitter’s name. They are bogus.”

Some scam artists will offer such fake cashier’s checks in large amounts. They only ask you to send them a genuine check from your account to cover “taxes” or “shipping and handling fees.” They then cash your check and pocket your money. When you cash their bad check it costs them nothing. You may have to pay an additional “bad check” bank fee.

Satan is the ultimate con man. Whatever he promises is appealing, pleasurable, and apparently free. It’s only after you agree to do business with him that you realize you have lost everything. You’re broke. Bankrupt. And he’s laughing all the way to the bank.

Ask Eve (Gen 3:1ff). The serpent’s deal sounded too good to be true. And it was. Lost souls in hell would tell you the same. Scripture says, “Don’t give the devil a foothold” (Eph 4:26-27). Don’t cash Satan’s check. He’ll rob you blind.