DICKINSON COUNTY — Authorities are investigating a reported scam in Abilene.
According to a statement from the Abilene Chamber of Commerce, a local business reported that they were the attempted target of a check cashing scam and that as many as 5 fake checks could potentially have been presented to their bank.
The business owner was tipped off when one of the check recipients called them to verify the legitimacy of a check they had received via UPS from “THE HEALTHY JUICE, CO”.
The check recipient had allegedly received the check in the amount of $2,470 after signing up online for a “work from home” promotion on THE HEALTHY JUICE, CO’s website. However, the printed name and address in the upper left-hand corner of the check they received as payment belonged to a local Abilene business, with no connection to the juice company.. The check was accompanied by a letter from THE HEALTHY JUICE, CO with instructions to take the check to their local bank, cash it, and then deposit the cash to another account. From that point on, the recipient would purportedly receive a similar check each week.
The local business owner did more investigating after receiving that first call, and discovered that at least 4 other fake checks had also been created. The counterfeit checks looked very similar to the local company’s real checks, with only a few small differences. The check numbers on the fake checks matched checks that the business had recently used to pay vendors in multiple geographic locations. There was no obvious pattern indicating where THE HEALTHY JUICE, CO may have obtained the local business’s check information.
Each of the forged checks the local business uncovered in their investigation was for exactly $2,470. The local business owner stated that they had spoken with at least one other Abilene area business that had been the target of this same scam recently.
Experts say that these check cashing scams typically originate overseas, making it very difficult for local law enforcement and banks to track the source. Monitoring your bank account closely and using checks with enhanced security features can help protect you and your business.
If you fear that you or your business have been the target of this or another scam, notify your bank immediately and call the Abilene Police Department at 785-263-1212.
The Chamber reminded consumers, there a number of ways to safeguard yourself against becoming an unwitting pawn in a check cashing scam. For more information on how check cashing scams work, click to read “The Anatomy of a Fake Check Cashing Scam”.