LetterAgent
Mail physical letters by just asking your AI assistant.
Home > Guides > Check in the mail from a stranger
Almost certainly, yes. No legitimate employer, lottery, or sweepstakes mails surprise checks to people they have never dealt with. The classic move is the overpayment scam: the "check" is counterfeit, your bank makes the funds available, you wire back part of the money as instructed, and weeks later the check bounces and you owe the bank the full amount.
| The story they tell | What is really happening |
|---|---|
| "You are hired as a mystery shopper; deposit this check and wire the balance" | Real mystery-shopper firms do not recruit by mailed check and never ask you to forward money |
| "You won a foreign lottery; pay the taxes from this advance" | You cannot win a lottery you never entered; real winnings have taxes deducted, not prepaid |
| "We overpaid you for this item; send back the difference" | The payment is fake; your refund is real and nonrefundable once wired |
| "You have an inheritance from a relative you never met" | Estates settle through courts and attorneys, not surprise checks from strangers |
This is the trap. Under U.S. federal law, banks must make deposited funds available to you quickly, usually within a couple of business days. That availability is not a verdict that the check is good. A counterfeit check can take a week or more to bounce back through the banking system, and some bounce months later. During that window, your balance looks healthy and you feel safe sending money. When the check is finally dishonored, the bank reverses the deposit and you owe everything.
Do not deposit it, do not spend against it, and do not wire or send money to anyone connected to it. Keep the envelope and the letter it came with, because the postmark, return address, and any tracking numbers are evidence. Report it to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service at postalinspectors.uspis.gov or by phone, and to the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. In Canada, report to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre. If you already deposited it, call your bank immediately and then file the reports.
Scam checks often carry clues: a personal check for a business prize, a bank name you have never heard of, a letter with pressure tactics ("act before Friday"), or instructions to keep the windfall secret. Some scammers also use stolen routing numbers from real businesses, so even a check drawn on a real bank name can be fraudulent. A bank can verify a check's legitimacy by contacting the issuing bank, but it cannot do that instantly, which is why the delay exists.
Using the mail makes the scam a federal matter in the U.S., which sounds like it should deter scammers, but many operate from outside the country where enforcement is slow. Mail also lends a false air of legitimacy: a crisp check in an envelope feels more real than a text message. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service specifically warns that mailed counterfeit checks remain one of the most common mail-fraud schemes.
Ready to mail it? Send your letter with LetterAgent: describe it to your AI assistant, approve the exact quoted price, and it is printed and mailed.
LetterAgent is a working name. Prices include print, postage, and our service fee. US prices in USD, Canadian prices in CAD (Canadian prices exclude applicable sales tax, added at checkout). Currently in private testing.
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