A recent incident report in Summerville is serving as a reminder of how convincing “product tester” scams can look—and how quickly they can turn into a financial loss if someone deposits a counterfeit check.

According to the report, a man told police he is a product tester for Nike and received an email from someone claiming to represent the product testing company. In that email, the sender attached a check made out to him and instructed him to deposit it into his personal checking account.

Several details raised immediate red flags. The man reported the check already appeared to be endorsed on the back, and it also referenced the bank he uses—even though he said he has never provided that bank information to the legitimate company. He also told police that all payments he receives are normally handled through PayPal, not by mailed or emailed checks.

When he attempted to question the people behind the message, the subjects reportedly admitted signing the back of the check and insisted they could not pay through PayPal, saying the transaction had to be completed through his bank. The man did not deposit the check and reported the suspected fraud.

Police and consumer protection agencies warn that this is a classic setup for a fake-check scam. Here’s how these schemes typically work:

Scammers pose as an employer, vendor, or “testing company” and send a check that looks legitimate—often with professional formatting and believable details. They then push the target to deposit it quickly, sometimes claiming it’s for “testing expenses,” “equipment,” “shipping,” or “startup costs.” Banks may make some funds available before the check fully clears, which can give the impression the payment is real. Once the victim believes the deposit is good, scammers often pressure them to send money elsewhere—through gift cards, wire transfers, peer-to-peer apps, or “reimbursements” to a third party. Days later, when the bank determines the check is counterfeit or altered, the deposit is reversed and the victim can be left responsible for the missing funds and fees.

Authorities recommend never depositing checks from unknown or unverifiable sources, being wary of any payment that doesn’t match the normal method used by a legitimate company, and treating any urgent demand to deposit a check—or to route money elsewhere—as a major warning sign.