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HomeNewsMontgomery County Sheriff's Office warns citizens of Check Scams

Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office warns citizens of Check Scams

Montgomery County Sheriff's Office - MCSOClarksville, TN – If someone you do not know sends you a check and asks for money back, it is a scam.

Fake check scams come in many forms. They might look like business or personal checks, cashier’s checks, money orders, or electronic checks.

Criminals will target anyone. Doctors, lawyers, business owners, politicians, and even law enforcement. Montgomery County Sheriff John Fuson recently received a check in the mail for nearly $5,000.

A photo of the Fake Check sent to Montgomery County Sheriff John Fuson.
A photo of the Fake Check sent to Montgomery County Sheriff John Fuson.

It was even mailed to the Sheriff’s Office.

In a fake check scam, a person you don’t know asks you to deposit a check, sometimes for several thousand dollars, then send some of the money back, to them or another person.

The scammers always have a good story to explain the overpayment.

By law, banks have to make deposited funds available quickly. You will usually see the money in your account within a day or two.

But it may take weeks for your bank to learn the check was fake. By that time, the scammer has the money you sent, and you are stuck paying the bank back.

The envelope Montgomery County Sheriff John Fuson's Fake Check came in.
The envelope Montgomery County Sheriff John Fuson’s Fake Check came in.

The check Sheriff Fuson received, like many other checks, will look very official. However, upon further inspection you will notice the address on the check is incorrect, the routing number is incorrect, and they spelled his name wrong.

If you receive something similar in the mail, do not cash it and file a report with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at reportfraud.ftc.gov.

Fake Check Scams

 

Fake Check Scams

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