A check is not safe to spend just because the money appears in your account. If someone sends you a check and asks you to return part of it, pay a fee, or forward money, stop: that is a classic fake-check scam. Verify any claimed government contact independently, then report the attempt and act quickly if you already deposited the check, sent money, or shared personal information.
How to recognize a government-check scam
Scammers may pose as a government agency or use a cover story involving a prize, job, fee, or overpayment. A common setup is an unsolicited check for more than the amount agreed upon, followed by instructions to send the difference back. Another version says you must pay a tax or fee, buy supplies for a job, or send money to unlock a prize.
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The check may look like a personal or business check, cashier’s check, or money order; it may also arrive electronically. Its appearance, a familiar bank name, and a balance showing in your account do not establish that it is valid. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) warns that a bank may take weeks to discover a fake check. If you have sent money onward, you may still have to repay the bank.
The FTC’s guidance is direct: “If someone you don’t know sends you a check and asks for money back, that’s a scam.” Read the FTC’s fake-check guidance.
How to verify a claimed government payment
Pause before responding to an unexpected call, message, email, or check. Find the agency’s contact details yourself on its official website and use those details to confirm whether the payment or request is genuine. Do not rely on caller ID, a number in a message, or a link provided by the person contacting you. Impersonators may use official-sounding names and personal details to seem credible.
If the claim involves taxes
The FTC says the IRS’s first contact about a tax issue is by mail. Verify a tax claim through IRS.gov; do not call a number supplied in an unexpected call or voicemail. See the FTC’s guidance on avoiding scams.
What to do if you receive a suspicious check
- Do not send money back or forward any of the check’s value. Do not use the proceeds to buy gift cards, cryptocurrency, or money orders, or to send a wire transfer for the person who contacted you. Do not pay a fee to collect a supposed free prize.
- If you deposited the check, contact your bank or credit union promptly. Explain that you suspect it may be fraudulent and ask what steps to take. A bank may require you to repay money from a fake check; contacting it does not guarantee that a loss can be reversed.
- If you already sent money, contact the payment provider immediately. Ask whether the transaction can be stopped or reversed. Whether recovery is possible depends on how you paid, and it is not guaranteed.
- If you shared personal information, use IdentityTheft.gov. Follow its recovery steps for the information you disclosed.
- Report the scam. You can report a fake-check scam to the FTC, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and your state attorney general. Government impersonation can also be reported to the FTC and your state attorney general.
Where to report the scam
- Federal Trade Commission: Report the attempt or loss at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. The FTC accepts reports about fake checks and government impersonation.
- U.S. Postal Inspection Service: Report a fake-check scam to the Postal Inspection Service.
- Your state attorney general: Find your state’s office through the USA.gov directory.
- IdentityTheft.gov: If you gave away personal information, use IdentityTheft.gov for recovery steps.
Reporting helps authorities identify patterns and build cases. The FTC adds reports to the Consumer Sentinel Network, a secure database available to local, state, and federal law enforcement; it also uses reports to develop consumer alerts. Learn more about the Consumer Sentinel Network.
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What scam-loss figures can—and cannot—tell you
The FTC reported more than $4 billion in total losses in 2025 to scams involving bank transfers and cryptocurrency, many involving government or business impersonation. That figure covers those payment methods across scams generally; it is not a count of government-check scams or an estimate of losses from them. See the FTC’s 2025 data spotlight.
Quick Recap
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