Can Someone Please Help Me?

My bank took the full seven days to clear it?
So you're saying in a few weeks it will come back uncleared again?

As I said, the actual clearing of cheques can take weeks or even months, depending on the origin and location. The cheque hasn't actually cleared at all yet, and will bounce when it hits the clearing house. If the cheque was stolen rather than forged, the issuing bank will reverse the credit when the account holder makes his or her report. Do NOT touch that money under any circumstances once it is back in your account!

On that subject, did you give the scammers any bank account information?

So I would have been in debt to the bank for £3500 somwhere down the line! Phew

Yes, exactly.

I have looked at the website you posted and done a bit of searching. It is a real business that is very often abused by scammers and referred to in scam formats. It is very common for scammers to abuse legitimate companies this way.

Okay, so what I will do tommorrow is ring the company and explain what has happened, ring the bank and ask for an appointment to see the manager, and also tell the police?
Phew, I have a lot going on tommorrow, other things to do tommorrow too.
So cheapfabrics have been ripped off before then? Or do you mean companies like them?

Cheapfabrics is a real company whose name and website address are used by scammers to make the scam more believable. Beyond that, they are not involved. You can drop them an email about what happened if you like, but that shouldn't be your first priority.

What you need to do tomorrow is go to the police station and file a report, then go to the bank, deposit the money back into your bank account, and speak with the manager. These are the important things to get done ASAP.

Just so I'm sure, you didn't give the scammers any of your bank account info, is that correct?

No I didn't give them my bank details, Phew!
Also, look what I found...
http://forum.419eater.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=101396

OK, no bank details is very good.

As for the Eater thread, that is one of many times scammers were pretending to be cheapfabrics.

I hope you are feeling a little better about the situation now. You shouldn't beat yourself up over this, and you are NOT stupid! Many people have fallen for this scam, but you realized what was happening before it was too late and went looking for assistance. Be proud of that.

Thanks so much Slayer, i really apreciate you spending the time with me here this morning...0400hrs, lol.
I am still scared about what the police will do to me though
Have I broken the law at all?
Not much longer now, I promise and I will be off to bed

As I said; no, you are not a criminal. Tomorrow, you are going to go to the police and report that you were the victim of a crime. You had no intention of depositing a fake cheque, or of taking money that was not yours. Most likely, the police in your area have taken many reports of exactly the type of fraud that you are reporting and will know what happened. The bank will probably only be interested in getting their money back, which you will also take care of tomorrow. Remember, coming forward and being honest will show that you are the victim here, and that you just want to make things right.

Thank you so much Slayer, I will let you know what happens tomorow.
I'm still nervous though, I think it's the embarassment factor. The police thinking I'm such an idiot and the bank staff all knowing and laughing at me.
I'm ashamed i fell for such a silly trick!
Anyways, I'm off to bed now, to try to sleep.
Thank you thank you thank you X

Get some sleep, scarednow.
You're very welcome, helping is what we are here for.

One more thing, do you think this will be a long drawn out court case thingy?

I doubt it. The police will take a report, but won't really be able to do much about catching the scammer. The bank will most likely hit you with a small bounced cheque fee when the cheque comes back and then let it go.

Thank You again.
I'm off to bed now, and try to sleep.
You've been very helpful.
I feel a little better now.

Goodnight SN

Please don't feel ashamed scarednow
Thousands of people get victimized by these scammers every day as they have mastered the art of scamming.

Good luck tomorrow and please let us know how it went.

Good work, SF.

Scarednow, can I reiterate what Julia and SlayerFaith said; don't beat yourself up about this. These guys are professional con artists, using a real company site to bolster their lies, and a cheque that looked good enough to fool your bank initially at least. It's not your fault. You did exactly the right thing - thought about the risks, did some research and asked for help, and now you're going to sort it out responsibly. That is not criminal, it's smart.

Please update us when you get back from the police and bank.