Charitable causes, like a Haitian orphanage, can pull at the heartstrings of many. Unfortunately, these charities are being used as the front for “advance fee scams” which trick consumers out of hundreds or thousands of dollars.

Fox6’s Contact 6 investigators looked into a letter received by a Milwaukee woman, which asked her to cash a check meant for a Haitian orphanage, keep part of the money, and send the rest to the scammers. What consumers don’t realize is that checks like this are fake, and it may take days or weeks for the bank to realize it. By that time, they’ve sent part of the money to the scammers, and are on the hook for the entire amount of the bounced check.

Don’t cash one of these checks. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Free money doesn’t come in the mail! Katrina Cravy explains in this Contact 6 story on Milwaukee’s Fox affiliate, WITI 6.

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