Hernando: Thieves cash in on checkmaking

Thieves cash in on checkmaking

Creating fake checks with real account numbers is becoming more prevalent, authorities say. One ring has made off with about $100,000.

By JAMIE MALERNEE

Creating fake checks with real account numbers is becoming more prevalent, authorities say. One ring has made off with about $100,000.

A new breed of counterfeiter is growing in Hernando County, bilking local businesses out of thousands of dollars a year, authorities say.

Rather than print fake money, these counterfeiters create something that is easy to reproduce on a computer: a bogus check.

Armed with these checks, they walk into local supermarkets and department stores with little more than a made-up name and leave with hundreds of dollars in cash.

"I don't think a week goes by that we don't see reports like this," said sheriff's Lt. Joe Paez, referring to a report about a man who, using fake checks, made off with $2,000 Tuesday from the Wal-Mart supercenter west of Brooksville. "We're seeing it more and more."

The reason for the increase, Paez and others agree, is a rise in the number of people who use home computers. All thieves have to do is obtain a valid bank account number, print it out using a checkmaking kit that's available at most any office supply store and, presto, they have a realistic check.

"Even the small-time criminals can make them," said Darin Dampier, manager of the Publix store at Mariner Boulevard and County Line Road in Spring Hill. "And with these new laser printers and scanners, they're looking better and better."

Unlike money, which is made with watermarks and other barriers to copying, checks are made to be easy to create for small businesses. The only real safeguard against counterfeiting occurs when employees check to make sure the account number printed on a check exists.

But criminals can obtain account numbers easily enough from financial information left in garbage and mailboxes, authorities said. The accounts check out clean, and stores fork over cash. Only when the check hits the bank do people realize its nature.

"It's a real nice scheme," Paez said.

The practice has become so problematic that many stores have begun requiring people who cash checks to leave their thumbprint on paperwork.

"That way, if one comes back a forgery, at least we can cross-check (the print) with . . . police," Dampier said. "But if they're in a (forgery) ring, that won't really deter them. They're probably wanted on something else already."

The problem is not isolated to Hernando County. David Waller, special agent with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, says it is prevalent throughout the country and costs Florida businesses millions of dollars a year.

In Polk County, Waller said, state authorities are investigating a ring that creates fake checks, then fans out over several counties to cash them. He suspects that one group has swindled more than $100,000.

Short of catching these people in the act, there are other things businesses and people can do to keep from being ripped off, Waller said.

He stressed that all check-cashing businesses should insist on at least two forms of identification from customers. Many people will have one fake ID, but not two. Some will be forced to use their real identity, making it easy for officers to track them down.

Businesses and residents alike should also ensure that they do not give away their bank account numbers. Criminals are more than willing to go through trash bins to find bank statements and preapproved credit card offers that include personal information, Waller said.

People may even want to avoid using their personal mailboxes when paying their bills. Thieves often drive through neighborhoods and steal mail from residents' doorsteps. Waller suggested placing checks directly in secure U.S. Postal Service boxes.

For information on identity theft, visit the site: www.fdle.state.fl.us on the Internet.