MCPHERSON COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities are investigating a new check scam in McPherson County.

Police reported McPherson residents received checks from Merchantville Country Club in New Jersey, according to a social media report.

A McPherson Police Sergeant contacted the Club and learned scammers are sending checks on a closed account and area banks confirmed the checks are no good.

The recipients cash the checks and the money is removed from their account before anyone is aware of the fraud.

These scams appear to be similar to secret shopper scams, where the consumer, hired to be a secret shopper, is asked to evaluate the effectiveness of a money transfer service.

The consumer is given a check, told to deposit it in their bank account, and withdraw the amount in cash.

Then, the consumer is told to take the cash to the money transfer service specified, and typically, send the transfer to a person far away.

The secret shopper scenario is just a scam to get the consumer’s money, according to police and they warned residents to be cautious when receiving money from an unfamiliar person or business.