The case of the vanishing deposit: US woman defrauded in catfishing check scam that reveals vulnerability of bank accounts

Following Mark’s instructions, she deposited the check into her bank account through an ATM instead of speaking to a teller. The swindle takes advantage of a vulnerability in America’s banking system, which sometimes makes funds from deposited checks available before they’re confirmed as genuine. — Image by Dragana_Gordic on Freepik

Only when it was too late did Christine Settingsgaard see the red flags festooning her online boyfriend.

He communicated by text messages and phone calls, never by video. He always had an excuse for why he couldn’t meet in person. And when he was supposedly called away to a remote job site, he said he couldn’t access his bank, which led to an urgent request.