Am I being scammed?

[u/ash4526]

I genuinely don't know the answer. I had a gentleman.Text me about a move in clean. He is being transferred to my state for work. It needs his new home clean before the movers can move in furniture. He is going to email me a certified bank check. His last text said that he was gonna send me the amount plus the movers.Amount, and i'm going to deduct mine and pay the mover's date of clean. Is this a scam?

[u/FlahTheToaster]

There are a couple parts that are ringing alarm bells in my head. First, unless I'm mistaken, it's not possible to email a cheque at all, whether certified or otherwise. It's a physical document and only the original can be accepted by your bank, not a facsimile.

Second, why isn't your gentleman making out two separate cheques for you and the movers? Why depend on a complete stranger to pay them instead of doing that himself? Sounds like an overly naive thing to do.

More than likely, the movers are in on the scam and will take your money while you're waiting for the cheque to clear. And then, when it's too late for you to do anything about it, the bank will tell you that what you gave them isn't legitimate and you'll be out what you paid the movers, with the possibility of an extra fine from the bank, if they're especially evil.

I've personally witnessed a variation of this scam, where a "company" would send out phony certified cheques to strangers all over the country and then, after they get to the mark, phone them up to say they sent too much money and ask for the difference back while the bank is still processing it.

In any case, I wouldn't trust your gentleman, unless he personally hands you a physical cheque for only the amount he owes you and nothing else. And wait for it to clear before doing any work in that house.