Check fraud can take many different forms. Often, the scammer will send you a fake or bad check to deposit and ask you to send back some of your own money before the bank fully processes the deposit and realizes the check is fake.

What to watch for

Here are a few common ways check fraud happens.

• Lottery or inheritance schemes

A scammer may contact you saying you’ve won a lottery or other prize or received an inheritance. They send you a fake cashier’s check for a large amount and ask you to pay taxes and fees on the lottery winnings or inheritance.

• Overpayment scams

Someone may pretend to buy something from you online and then send you a check for more than the asking price or amount requested. The buyer then asks for the overpayment back.

• Mystery shopping schemes

A person contacts you claiming to be organizing mystery shoppers for a company that sells gift cards or money orders. They send you a check to deposit in your personal account, and then transfer some of the money elsewhere — an accomplice to the fraud. This person disappears with your money.

• Unsolicited check schemes

You may receive a check in the mail you weren’t expecting, often for only a few dollars. You may think it’s a rebate on something you bought. But in reality, it may be a fake check scam. By cashing the check, you could be unknowingly signing up for a membership or taking out a loan that will draw on your account every month, through a program that’s difficult to cancel.