Check Scam Targets Teens Outside Westchester Banks, Police Warn

LARCHMONT, NY — Larchmont police are warning about a confidence scam targeting customers of local banks.

Police said the crime trend appears to target teens and young adults.

There have been two recent incidents in Larchmont where female teenagers were approached by a man in his 30s-40s, roughly 6 feet tall, asking to cash a check for him, police said. The suspect has claimed that he cannot cash the check against his account, and offers to pay $40 to the victim to deposit the check in their account via ATM, and then withdraw the balance of the check for the suspect.

Both reported incidents occurred after bank hours at the Chase Bank on Chatsworth Avenue. Both checks were written on what appeared to be a Chase Bank account. The amounts of the checks were $800 and $900 respectively.

"If someone asks for you to deposit their check in your account and withdraw/send the funds back to them, this is a fake check scam," the Larchmont Police Department said in an alert issued this week. "Fake check deposits can take several hours or days before a bank flags it, but your funds can be withdrawn immediately. These scams can happen in-person, on the phone, via email, or through the mail."

Investigators said the con has occurred in multiple jurisdictions by several suspects, both in the region and across the country. Police are asking anyone that witnesses a similar approach or any suspicious activity to call police immediately at 914-834-1000 or 911.