Image source: Getty Images People learn the hard way that a large check doesn't behave like a smaller deposit. The balance goes up, you make plans, and then your bank quietly blocks most of the money.

Scammers are intercepting large checks made out to the IRS during tax season and when that happens, those stolen funds are typically unable to be recovered, the Beverly Hills Police Department warns.

You might expect a big check to clear instantly. You put it in your account, the balance goes up, and that's that. But banks don't treat large deposits the same way they treat smaller ones, and the ...