Safety Matters - April 2008

The Vernonia Police Department continues to take reports of fraud and counterfeit check scams. The most recent fraud report that was filed was different from other scams as the checks were received as payment for items. A Vernonia citizen was selling items on the popular website “Craigslist” when they were contacted by someone interested in purchasing the items. After several emails the alleged “buyer” agreed to send checks for the merchandise. When the check arrived the citizen immediately was suspicious as it was a business check from the University of Colorado. The citizen took the check to their bank and asked them to check the validity of the check. It turned out the check was from a valid account but was a counterfeit check. The bank did not cash the check but did end up freezing the citizen’s account for suspicious activity. The “buyer”, being very persistent, sent another check which was again counterfeit from a different business. This time the citizen brought the check and all of the emails to the police department where I initiated an investigation. Another part of this transaction that raised the suspicions of the citizen was the process the “buyer” wanted him to follow. The citizen was supposed to cash the check, deduct the amount of the purchase, send a portion to a shipping company, then send the remainder of the check funds to the Republic of Benin. If there are obvious red flags in any type of transaction, please call the police department for advice. Hopefully the investigation will provide some clues as to who the suspect(s) are. The Oregon Attorney General’s office recently released the list of the Top 10 Consumer Complaints in Oregon filed last year. They are as follows: (10) Auto Repair, (9) Internet Auctions, (8) Construction Contractors, (7) Health Related, (6) Internet Retailers, (5) Motor Vehicle Sales, (4) Collection Agencies, (3) International Money Transfer Schemes, (2) Financial Institutions and (1) Telecommunications. The Attorney General’s consumer hotline is 877-877-9392 or online at www.doj.state.or.us.