watch out!

boogedy, boogedy -- if you aren't aware of how you can be scammed by people who give you a check for something, you need to pay attention.

Canada, as benevolent (?) as our neighbor is, has a huge ring operating and preying on U.S. citizens. Other scam artists are located in Nigeria, the Netherlands, and England.

want to know what a counterfeit check looks like? go here: http://www.ckfraud.org/counterfeitcks.html

the scams? one is that you are given a check which is more than the amount due you, you deposit the whole thing, take out your amount, then wire the remainder. the check bounces. even when the bank says it has cleared, it may come back later and insist the check didn't clear and you are liable for the whole amount. man, that's a nightmare! in fact, read the whole article -- it will make you not want to take any check.

so -- we can't take a check, we can't take money -- the counterfeiters are everywhere. supposedly you are supposed to be able to use an online payment system, like PayPal, but they had their own problems awhile back with people posing as them.

this last article has some really good advice, though, about only taking a check on a local bank. still, it makes me nervous. i guess the answer is, rather than trying to sell something just give it away!