A check scam from late 2019 is continuing to plague the City of Crawfordsville into the new year.
The Crawfordsville Clerk-Treasurer’s office has received ongoing reports of fraudulent checks that are spoofed to look like they come from the city, being used to attempt to make large purchases in different parts of the country through Craigslist or online auction sites. Lately, some fake Crawfordsville checks are also being used for overpayment and “mystery shopper” employment scams.
In these cases, scammers are overpaying for certain products or services. When the recipient receives the check and brings the overpayment to the scammer’s attention, they apologize for the oversight and ask the recipient to quickly return the extra funds, often by money order or gift card. The scammer’s motive is to get the recipient to send them legitimate money before the recipient realizes that the original check was fake.
The city has several security measures in place to prevent these checks from going through and affecting city accounts, but if someone cashes or deposits one of these fraudulent checks, they may be liable for the entire amount of the check and any related fees or fines once their bank reverses the deposit.
The City of Crawfordsville does not pay for mystery shoppers or purchase products through online auction sites. As the payee, if you receive a check from the City of Crawfordsville that you were not expecting or for an amount that is over what you were selling, contact the Crawfordsville Clerk-Treasurer’s office at 765-364-5150 to verify if your check is legitimate. If you sell items online, visit FDIC.gov to learn about and avoid several common financial scams.
