Scammers using Kansas Offender Registration Act to target victims
20 February 2024
GARDEN CITY, Kan. (KSNW) — The Finney County Sheriff’s Office is warning about a fake check scam.
A Garden City resident recently received a letter claiming to be from Publisher’s Clearing House. The letter included a $9,250.25 check.
The letter claims the person has won a portion of the money but will need to pay taxes on their “winnings.” They are instructed to deposit the check in their account and then given instructions on how to pay the taxes through a wire transfer.
The check is fake or, in some cases, does contain legitimate account information, but the account belongs to someone else. The scammers are hoping their victim will deposit the check and transfer money out before the bank fully processes it.
A scam letter and check were received by a Garden City resident, which claims they won a prize from Publisher’s Clearing House (Courtesy: Finney Co. Sheriff’s Office)
In some cases, the check itself is fake. In others, the check contains a legitimate routing number and bank account that belongs to a company or individual that doesn’t know their account information has been compromised.
If you deposit the check in your account, you may be held responsible for the money that has been transferred to the scammer, even though you are a victim as well. This same type of scam is used in fake employment and mystery shopping opportunities, as well as classified ads online, where scammers can pose as buyers or sellers of non-existent rental or real estate properties.
For more on check scams, including tips on how to spot fake checks and what to do if you receive one, click here.