Greenwich Police Warn of On-Going 'Check-Cashing Scam'

GREENWICH, CT — A Greenwich resident was recently bilked out of thousands of dollars in a "check-cashing scam," prompting police to warn residents to be careful because such incidents remain a problem.

According to Greenwich Police Lt. Kraig Gray, the female victim "was contacted via e-mail by a scammer who related she was an employee within the human resource department of a prominent healthcare company. In the email, they offered her an 'at home' position within the company."

The victim accepted the offer and signed a contract to "take a position" with the company. The victim's new “employer” then mailed a check to them to deposit into her personal banking account. She was then instructed to write a check to another company for a similar amount minus her “salary” for the transaction.

After several transactions, her personal bank advised her that "the last check she had attempted to deposit was fraudulent and that her account was currently overdrawn for several thousand dollars," according to Gray.

The victim then realized that she had become a victim of a fraudulent scam and reported it to Greenwich police.

"This is just another example of an old scam where con artists use fake job offers to bait-and-hook new victims and perpetrate a 'check-cashing' scam," said Gray in a statement. "In this scam, the goal is to steal money from you through a money-laundering [scheme]. The victim often is unwittingly helping the thief steal money from someone else as well.

"You should never trust any new 'job' where your boss expects you to send money to him or any job where you get a check before actually doing any work," he added.

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