In this story, a woman and her customer were engaging in a controversial practice: they had arranged online to exchange human milk for money, shipping it across the country. This kind of transaction poses risks of contamination and spoilage, but that isn’t why we’re sharing the story. We’re sharing it because the buyer sent a fake check.

The mother who pumped and shipped her milk says that she sent off her real milk in exchange for a fake check, and she shared her story with CBS Sacramento because she wants to warn others. Her advice really applies to people shopping or selling on any online marketplace: read the rules, make sure to follow any advice that the site gives for avoiding fraud, no matter how trustworthy your potential trading partner might seem.

In this case, a woman in Florida sent a check for $2,000, paying in advance for a total of 750 ounces of pumped milk over the coming months. Yet what the purported seller swore is a real check is a counterfeit, according to her bank.

The site, OnlyTheBreast.com, specifically spells out to sellers that they should only accept PayPal, and that they should never accept payments in the form of a check.

“Do not under any circumstances accept checks,” they say, just in case it isn’t clear.

Maybe the most important lesson to take home is to always read warning labels. The site where the transaction took place specifically warns users not to accept checks as payment, but this provider was satisfied that the buyer was a real and trustworthy person.

Grass Valley Woman Selling Breast Milk Online Says She Was Scammed By Bad Check [CBS Sacramento]

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