I received a warning from my town clerk. Apparently a person using the name "Michael Rivera" has been sending emails to justices of the peace, wanting to set a date for a wedding, and offering to send a certified check for the fee. But then it turns out the check includes not just the JP fee, but also the fee for the videographer and the photographer, so the JP is to cash the check and give the money in excess of the JP fee to the videographer and photographer. The JPs concerned were smart enough to cancel before they actually received the check.
This seems like a variation of the classic scheme where a forged certified check is sent in excess of the amount owed to the recipient/victim. The victim cashes or deposits the check, and then gets a money order for the excess and sends it to a confederate of the scammer. By the time the victim's bank finds out the check is worthless and takes the money out of the victim's account, it's too late. |
