Fraudulent Cheque Alert - Yamaha Customers

We've recently identified a criminal practice where a third party unaffiliated with Yamaha has been using counterfeit and forged Yamaha cheques to defraud unsuspecting users on Craigslist and Kijiji.

Usually it works like this: The scammer claims to be a Yamaha employee who would like to make a purchase from a Craiglist/Kijiji seller with a Yamaha cheque that is greater than the sale price. The seller is instructed to deposit the cheque and then forward the difference of the deposit elsewhere, typically by wire transfer. By the time the seller's bank discovers the cheque is fake, which can take several days, the scammers have received their forwarded transfer, and the seller is on the hook for funds drawn from that deposit.

Please be aware that you should not accept a Yamaha cheque from an individual.

Craigslist and Kijiji have been informed of the situation and we are currently working with local police and the RCMP to resolve this matter.

If you encounter a suspicious Yamaha cheque or an individual trying to pass off a Yamaha cheque, please contact us immediately: corpcomm@yamaha.ca.