a question about certified bank checks

[jenelope]

I don't think it's at all unreasonable to take every necessary step to protect yourself when dealing with large amounts of money and any paper currency (including cash). For several days a couple of years ago, I lived in fear of having my car impounded every time I drove it. I bought a used car from a dealership, and my father cosigned for me. For six months I drove it with no problems, at all. My Dad called me one day to let me know that the State Police had called him trying to get my new address. I had moved about a month earlier and hadn't had time to get my license information updated. It turned out that my car had gone through many hands before getting to me.

First, it was purchased from a private owner with a falsified cashier's check. The person had given the owner a check for $10,000, but the check was actually only worth $100 (they somehow added some zeros). Then it was sold to some kind of "warehouse" and then passed around various dealerships until some poor sucker... oh, wait, that would be me... bought it. My Dad refused to tell the cops where to find me until we sorted things out with the dealership. He had visions of me being left without transportation, 100 miles from anyone in my family. The Statie he talked to was very understanding, and had Dad give me his name and number in case I got pulled over. The salesman I had worked with at the dealership was a real jerk about the whole thing, though. Considering that they had sold me a stolen car, I expected to have the situation resolved quickly and at least get an apology about it. Instead, they only promised to take care of it quickly when I agreed to buy a replacement from them. Didn't even give me a discount.

So, yeah, these things can definitely be falsified. I'm not saying that this woman is trying to defraud you, but do whatever you can to be safe.

ETA: Man, I really gotta start checking the dates on posts I reply to!