The Federal Bureau of Investigation is warning the public about the latest way scammers are making off with people’s money. New technological innovations are making stealing people’s money easier than ever.
Scammers can impersonate legitimate organizations and have gotten better about making fewer mistakes such as grammar errors that would typically indicate that a scam is in the works. Through apps and other software, scammers can change what a person sees on their caller I.D. when they contact a potential victim. This is known as “spoofing.”
If that wasn’t bad enough, technology is aiding scammers in another way to con people out of their money. Scammers have been able to take check washing or “checking cooking” to a whole new level. They will take a digital photo of a check and use commercially available software to alter the check. Dozens of new checks can be made this way and they will write the checks for smaller amounts that won’t raise red flags to remain undetected. It takes longer to notice these and by the time anyone does realize what has happened, the scammer could have made away with thousands of dollars.
The FBI is offering the public tips on how to not become a victim of “checking cooking.” They urge people to consider not paying with checks and use a safer method, such as a credit card. If people must pay with a check, the FBI says to not mail it from home. Dropping the check in the mail at the post office is a better option. People should be checking their mailboxes daily to reduce the likelihood of mail/check theft. Monitoring personal and business bank accounts continuously to look for suspicious activity is a must to catch any potential fraud before scammers can make off with more money.
If you are the victim of “check cooking,” you should contact your banking institution immediately, file a police report with your local law enforcement agency and file a report with the FBI online at the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov or by calling the FBI Atlanta Field Office at 404-679-9000.
