Is this another scam?
Asked by
HungryGuy (
16039
)
January 10th, 2012
A while ago, I asked about a suspicious check that I got in the mail to be a “Secret Shopper” that everyone here agreed was a scam.
Well, I just got another check. This one is for $18.04. It’s from Foreign Currency Fee Litigation Settlement Fund and payable through Huntington National Bank. It says to see www DOT ccfsettlement DOT com. (Don’t go there! You’ll probably get a virus!!)
The fine print says it’s a settlement for a class action suit involving international currency conversions done with various credit cards. I suppose that’s plausible since I bop back and forth across the big blue wet thing fairly often and find credit cards useful for such things.
But I can’t, for the life of me, see how anyone can benefit from this as a scam. Especially for such a tiny amount of money. There’s no conditions or requirements. Just a check to do with as I please. What gives?
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10 Answers
Don’t throw away that check just yet. I also got one for the same amount, or similar amount, about a month ago, for the same reasons as you state. I think i jusI took it to my bank and physically cashed it, no problems. I did not do any online banking or computer stuff. But I’m kinda busy right now, so give me a day or so to trace this and see if I can find out what actually happened and what I did.
This article describes these checks. They are legitimate, and there are apparently 10 million other people who got an $18 dollar check. It is for a class action lawsuit against credit card companies back in 2009.
I got one of those, and I cashed it. It was real.
OK, looked it up. The check that I received was also for $18.04, it was related to a class action lawsuit settlement involving foreign currency exchange fees. I cashed it on Dec. 9, and have not had any problems.
I got one too. About 2 years ago I received letters in the mail stating this case was going to court in a class action suit. Supposedly my case was against American Express for some kind of foreign currency exchange rate fee..
We all get between $10 and $100 but the lawyers get ⅓ of the total (tens?, hundreds? of millions of dollars) righting this “terrible injustice”.
@LuckyGuy – If I ever got a letter like that, I would have ignored it thinking it was either a scam or just not worth the hassle of getting involved in a lawsuit. So why do they think I’m a party to their lawsuit? If I deposit this check, am I opening myself to legal liability down the line?
I don’t even have an American Express card. I have a Virgin card, and a couple of cards from American banks.
@HungryGuy They got your name from the credit card company who “ripped you off” for $18 from 2000 until 2008, or whatever it is in your case.
By cashing the check you are saying you will not sue for further damages. The case is closed.
That junk mail was legit but was written in legalese to hide the fact that the lawyers are taking ⅓ of the settlement .
Buy some coffee with it and enjoy your morning coffee for the next month or so. The aroma will be twice as sweet and satisfying knowing it was “free”.
@LuckyGuy – I have no desire to sue anyone for anything. S’ok. It’s a free CD from Amazon :-D
@HungryGuy Of course you will not sue. You would have to show how much you were overcharged in exchange rate fees for those years. that is virtually impossible and probably less than $18.
The credit card company will raise everyone’s rates infinitesimally to make up for the loss.
The only real winners are the lawyers
@LuckyGuy – ”...The only real winners are the lawyers…” Well, duh!
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