http://ozarkspub.vo.llnwd.net/o37/KSMU/audio/mp3/bankerswar_1802.mp3
Area banks are warning the public about counterfeit check schemes designed to bilk unsuspecting people of thousands of dollars. KSMU's Missy Shelton reports.
Area banks are warning the public about counterfeit check schemes designed to bilk unsuspecting people of thousands of dollars.
Cindy Harding is Vice President of Empire Bank and is heading up the local effort to alert customers to the increasing number of counterfeit checks being sent in the mail.
Harding says the checks come in various forms, sometimes making it difficult to spot a fake.
And the people behind the schemes don't just use mail.
Harding says they've even placed ads in newspapers.
Harding says the counterfeit checks began showing up in Southwest Missouri a couple of years ago.
She says through the public awareness campaign, she hopes more people will bring these checks into their banks for inspection before wiring money.
Complicating the matter, Harding says is the fact that many of the perpetrators are overseas. She says consumers should be careful about checks and requests for money from people they meet on the internet since that is a common way for criminals to find their next target.