Decades Old Checks Cashed In Avon Lake Fraud Scheme

AVON LAKE, OH — Commit fraud like its 1999, is the surprising mantra of at least one criminal apparently. An Avon Lake man discovered some old checks, from before Y2K, were somehow cashed fraudulently in August 2017. The man reported the matter last week.

Read more about that strange incident, and other crimes, from the past few weeks below.

Burglary, Oct. 15 — A home on Anchors Weigh was hit by burglars. Several items were missing from the home's garage. Police say the garage door may have been left open overnight.

Theft, Oct. 15 — Someone stole a Williamsburg Drive man's lawn mower. The machine was left in the man's front yard while the owner went to get gas for the lawn mower. While he was gone, someone snagged the machine and took off with it.

Fraud, Oct. 19 — In a bizarre incident, someone cashed three checks belonging to an Avon Lake man. Problem is, the checks were from 1999, making them nearly two decades old. The checks were cashed in August 2017. The man's bank, First Federal of Lakewood, told the man to make a police report.

Suspicious Activity, Oct. 19 — A resident was the victim of a phishing scam. The resident got an email from a group claiming to be Apple and asking for the man's personal information. The man provided the information and then later learned from Apple that he had been phished.

Liquor Offense, Oct. 21 — Callers reported a possible drunk driver on Lake Road. An officer caught up to the vehicle and followed it for about a mile before pulling it over on Avon Belden Road. The driver had an open container of alcohol in the car and was cited. The driver left their car in a parking lot and got a ride home with a sober driver.

Suicide Investigation, Oct. 22 — A man attempted suicide by throwing himself in front of a moving car on Lake Road. The pedestrian was rushed to a local hospital and survived. He is being charged for right-of-way and will have to appear in Avon Lake Municipal Court.

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