Scammers Forging Business Checks

The Salina Area Chamber of Commerce is urging area businesses to beware of a check scam.

According to the agency, several local businesses have reported that they were the target of a check forging scheme in which checks are forged and cashed in other states for large sums. In both cases someone used computer generated checks that mirrored the business check designs to cash checks in numerous states including Alabama, Florida, Idaho, Virginia, New York and South Carolina.

One business listed the loss at just under $17,500 and another business had forged checks worth over $160,000 that were attempted to be cashed.

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 scam artist may have obtained the local business’ check information.

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.

In these cases it cost the business valuable time and resources that they otherwise wouldn’t have had as a part of daily operations.

If you have questions or if you fear that you or your business have been the target of this or another scam, contact your bank immediately.