Four checks before you deposit anything

  • Is the check for more than your quote? The FTC says a fake check is usually for more than the person owes, sometimes several thousand dollars, with a good story for why you should send some on. If the amount covers someone else’s trade, decline it.
  • Do you know who owns the house? City and county assessors keep ownership records. Fargo’s assessor, for one, describes its office as the resource for ownership information on every parcel in the city. If the owner on record isn’t the person messaging you, stop there. The FTC’s rule of thumb: don’t rely on money from a check unless you know and trust the person.
  • Does “available” mean “good”? Not yet. The CFPB says checks of $225 or less deposited in person are generally available by the next business day, and mobile deposits may run on a different timetable. The FTC adds that seeing the funds doesn’t mean the check is good, and a fake can take weeks to discover. By then you repay the bank.
  • Did money already go out? The FTC says to contact the wire service, gift card issuer or crypto company right away and ask whether the money can be reversed or refunded. Then report it to the FTC, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and your state attorney general.

Keep the job tied to its real price. A Kansas City washer lists $300 to wash a 1,500 sq ft house, so a mailed check far beyond your quote is a message in itself. You can still quote from satellite imagery and then confirm the owner in the same step. For which channels bring in real customers, see where pressure washing leads come from. If the problem is a real customer who pays late, see when a customer doesn’t pay. This is general information, not legal or banking advice; ask your bank about a specific check. How we check sources: methodology.

Sources

Based on 4 sources · How we price