Additionally, as of 12/16/2008, there are reports of similar checks with an account number ending in 17464, possibly appearing to be drawn on the Wells Fargo Bank for $2,450.00, signed by John Mao in the 1040 range, arriving via UPS Overnight from New York. Do not cash, deposit, or negotiate this check. It too is counterfeit.
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Additional Information about the Conterfeit Check Alert
From the information that CRC and our Financial Institution has been able to uncover, the following describes how this counterfeit scheme works in a general way:
You receive a letter saying you've been selected to become a "mystery shopper" at an amazing $125 an hour! Enclosed is a $3,650 check and instructions to visit a local Wal-Mart customer-service desk and pose as someone buying two MoneyGrams to wire $1,550 each to the two names listed in your email. The check amount covers the cost of the MoneyGram, including Wal-Mart's fee, and $250 for you for two hours of work, which includes filling out a survey on the service you received. It sounds like the quickest $250 you'll ever make.
But after you complete the assignment, you'll soon realize you've been had. Within weeks the financial institution where you deposited the check will notify you that it is fraudulent and that you must pay back the $3,650. What makes this scam particularly disturbing is how legitimate it appears. The documents are businesslike, and the check carries the name and address of an actual financial institution and an actual business. The toll-free number, if one is provided, however, belongs to the scam artists. If would-be shoppers call it to verify the deal, they'll receive assurance of the check's "authenticity."
Additionally, as of 12/16/08, we have received reports of similar checks with an account number ending in 17464, possibly appearing to be drawn on the Wells Fargo Bank. The amount might be $3,650 or $2,450.00, signed by a John Mao in the 1040 range, arriving via UPS Overnight from New York. Do not cash, deposit or negotiate this check. It too is Counterfeit. Reports indicate that the recipients of these checks did not sign up for the secret shopper or other on-line venture. We are not sure how these recipients are being selected to receive the counterfeit checks.
If you have received a suspicious looking check from Community Residence Corporation (CRC), please know that CRC a not-for-profit agency serving people with developmental disabilities in Southeastern Michigan. CRC receives its funding through Medicaid and would not in any circumstances send large checks to unknown people all over the country via overnight mail. CRC strives to be an excellent service provider and a good steward of its public dollars. CRC asks that you assist in the investigation, please send any checks and package material to one of the addresses listed below.
You might get such a letter after you post a resume on a job site such as www.monster.com or respond to an online work-at-home promotion. The Federal Trade Commission has issued a warning about this and other check scams here.
An investigation into this check counterfeiting scheme has been initiated by:
The Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office
Deputy Sheriff Jeffrey Carek
2201 Hogback Rd.
Ann Arbor, MI 48105>
Phone: 734-971-8400 ext. 67127
Email: carekj@ewashtenaw.org
If you have received one of the overnight packages, we urge you to mail a print out of any emails you have received, the original check, and the UPS envelope/mailer to either Deputy Sheriff Carek at the address listed above, or to:
Community Residence Corporation
Attn: Steven Weindorf
1851 Washtenaw
Ypsilanti, MI 48197
Thank you in advance for your assistance in this matter. We here at CRC regret that both of us have been involved in this scam, and please know that we are doing everything at our disposal to stop this scam and prosecute the perpetrators.
