Check scams are nothing new, but that doesn’t mean they are going away. Lieutenant Brian Hall says the Monmouth Police Department continues to receive reports locally:
“What the bad actors are doing is they will send somebody a check for say $3,000, tell them to cash it, keep a portion, and then send a portion back to the actor. The reason that can go through, is it can take the bank a day or two to realize that check was fraudulent. The individual that cashes it, whatever money they send out, and the money that they kept as well, they will be out the total amount for it. It is not new but we continue to take report after report on it,” reports Lieutenant Hall.
“If it sounds to good to be true, it can be. Just be very cautious because the people that are cashing the checks and sending the money out, ultimately a lot of times they are responsible for the money that is lost. If you are unsure in any way, consult with somebody, get a hold of somebody that may have more knowledge and run it by them before you take any action on it,” Lieutenant Hall adds.
