'Friend' scams money

A Coeur d'Alene man learned that mixing finances with friends is not a great idea.

The man called police Wednesday to report that on May 10, he allowed a friend to deposit a $435 check into his account, then used his debit card to withdraw the cash.

The friend said he needed to do this because "it was after hours and the banks were closed."

Three days later, the friend again asked if he could deposit a $465 check into the same account, and use the debit card to withdraw the amount in cash.

The victim agreed.

On May 15, the victim was advised by his bank the checks were both returned due to "Unable to Locate Account."

He immediately contacted the friend, who said he was expecting "insurance checks" and would make good with the bank, according to a police report.

The victim said the friend never did.

He called police eight months later because he was concerned about his credit due to the bad checks being deposited into his account.