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  • 1.  Check Fraud

    Posted 01-11-2023 08:03

    List mates, we have run into a situation that I am sure others have experienced.

    Over the past month, our Positive Pay program through Peapack-Gladstone Bank, identified several forged checks.  Some of the checks do not have our name or address or the bank's name on them, others are terrific knockoffs of our checks.  We filed a complaint with our local police department, but I am not sure how far its investigation will go.

    However, this week we received a call from a woman in Louisiana who contacted us because she was confirming that what she was doing was legitimate.

    What was she doing?  She was hired to work at home and print our checks and then send them by FedEx to the payees shown on the checks!  After we explained that she was getting caught in a scam, she was kind enough to provide us with an email chain from the fraudster.  She also showed us that a FedEx account had been opened in our name.  FedEx wouldn't tell us much other than that the account had been opened in California.

    My office manager called the fraudster for info on how my manager can get paid to do what this lady in Louisiana was doing- that didn't go to far as the phone number was soon disconnected.

    Does anyone on this list have similar experiences?

     

    ---

    Stephen M. Flatow, Counsel

    Vested Land Services LLC

    165 Passaic Ave, Suite 101

    Fairfield, NJ 07004

    973-808-6130 P

    973-227-0645 F

    WARNING – FRAUDULENT WIRING INSTRUCTIONS
    Email hacking is on the rise to fraudulently misdirect funds. Before wiring us any money, always call our office to verbally verify our wiring instructions. Please use independent sources such as the internet, to verify our phone number. We will not be responsible for any wires sent to incorrect bank accounts.

     

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  • 2.  RE: Check Fraud

    Posted 01-12-2023 08:49
    Stephen,
          We have had several instances of fraudulent checks as well.  We were getting them daily for about a month about 6 months ago then they stopped until we had one again last week.  The checks we have had look nearly identical to our actual checks, even so far as having our actual order numbers printed on them.  The one that tried to go through last week even had a replicate of my signature on it!  I too reported this to our local police back when we were getting them daily, but it didn't seem to do anything other than getting it of record. 

    Hopefully someone is able to chime in with some helpful advice as I'd love for these folks to get caught and penalized in some way!

    ------------------------------
    Lisa Mahlerwein
    Columbus Title Agency of Westerville, Inc.
    Westerville OH
    +1 (614) 890-3888
    ------------------------------

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  • 3.  RE: Check Fraud

    Posted 01-12-2023 10:36

    Yes, had several people call to confirm checks from us (most of those individuals were in Louisiana) were legit prior to depositing. They called as they 'were not anticipating the checks from us'. At any rate one said her daughter had also received and deposited one that our bank did not honor as we identified it as fraud. She added that shortly after her daughter deposited the check, her account was swept and she ended up with a negative balance....

     

    Anneliese K. Riebel, CTIS

    President | Alpine Title, LLC | License #CO107310

    Office 970-728-9680 l Cell 970-708-0794 l Fax 866-689-9558

     

    To ensure prompt service please copy all communications to

    closing@alpinetitle.com

    image008.jpg@01D92061.611BAAE0

    Agency License #CO668372

     

    WARNING – NEVER WIRE FUNDS WITHOUT VERBAL VERIFICATION BEFORE SENDING

    If you receive an email containing new or revised WIRE TRANSFER INSTRUCTIONS immediately call your escrow officer to verify the information prior to sending funds or other information.  We will always send you Wiring Instructions directly, and only through encrypted email.  We cannot accept your wiring instruction via email.  Call your escrow officer for instructions.  Never wire funds for a real estate transaction to anybody without first VERBALLY CONFIRMING wire instructions.

     

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  • 4.  RE: Check Fraud

    Posted 01-12-2023 10:57
    Yes, this happened to us. Someone "hired" at least 7 people to work as virtual assistants. He told them he would send them each $2,800 and they were to keep $600 and send the rest "to the orphanage." He used world vision organization's name as well as the name of their CEO, but changed to domain to worldvisionorg.com. 2 women called me to confirm the checks were legitimate, which they were not. 5 people cashed the checks. They were sent by Fedex all over the country . Involved states include FL, TX, OH, OK. I was hoping with Fedex tracking we'd be able to find out where they actually originated from, but with only two tracking numbers, the best I could guess was OK. I also went to our local PD; however, I don't think they're going to be able to find this person.

    ------------------------------
    Kristen Cappitelli
    Good to be Home Title Agency
    Medford NJ
    +1 (908) 621-1192
    ------------------------------

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  • 5.  RE: Check Fraud

    Posted 01-12-2023 11:01

    Stephen, we have had multiple instances over the past 5 years.  In 2021 we were able to work with a check cashing store who had cashed a previous fraudulent check.

     

    Positive pay stopped it being a loss on our side.  When the fraudster came back a second time to the same check cashing store, the police was contacted.  Fast forward two years, the individual spent time in prison.

     

    See if there is a location where more than one check has been cashed.

     

    Matthew Cohen

     

     

    Sent from Mail for Windows

     




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  • 6.  RE: Check Fraud

    Posted 01-17-2023 20:45
    Re: Check Fraud.  On December 29, 2022, I gave a 90-minute webinar on check fraud for CPA Academy (CPAAcademy.org).  The audience (1,753 attendees) were CPAs earning CPE credits.  Title:  "Check Fraud and the Power of Positive Pay: Looking forward to 2023."  Those watching rated the webinar 4.75/5.0.  It's available for anyone to watch, for free, at this link (copy, paste):

    https://www.cpaacademy.org/archived_show/a0D2S00000wH7jGUAS

    In this webinar, I explain how both Positive Pay and Payee Positive Pay ARE NOT foolproof; fraudsters are beating both.  I also explain that placing a Stop Payment on a check DOES NOT end your legal obligation to pay that check - because of the UCC and holder in due course.

    Finally, the quality of your check stock matters.  If fraudsters can get you check stock (from the same sources you do), they can replicate your check perfectly - AND you can be held liable for those checks, even if they were caught by Positive Pay and returned to the check cashing store, because of holder in due course AND because the checks looked authentic (Appellate Court case).

    Watch the webinar; reach out if you want more info.

    Greg Litster, President
    SAFEChecks
    (800) 755-2265
    Greg@SAFEChecks.com


    ------------------------------
    Greg Litster
    President
    SAFEChecks
    Simi Valley, CA 93063
    (800) 755-2265
    www.safechecks.com
    Greg@safechecks.com
    ------------------------------

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