Students' Union Housing Registry

WARNING: Scam Alert - Foreign Money Orders

A number of people who have posted listings on the Housing Registry have been contacted by people wishing to pay for their rent by sending MONEY ORDERS. Please be aware that this may be a scam. You could be charged with a criminal offence if you try to cash a money order that is counterfeit or has been altered to reflect a higher amount.

The scam work by duping people into cashing counterfeit or altered money orders. It can take some time for the bank or postal service to discover that the money order is fake. The crooks use this in-between time to contact the victims and say that there has been a change in plans that requires them to have their money back right away. If you cash a altered or counterfeit money order you are responsible for it's total value. For example, if you cash a $1 money order that has been altered to $700, you will end up being charged $699 of your own money. By cashing a fake money order you may also run the risk of being charged by the police for allegedly participating in a fraud.

This scam is not unique to the Housing Registry. It is active on all types of auction and classified advertisement web sites such as eBay. It is also occurring in instant messaging systems such as MSN Messenger and Yahoo Messenger.

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