Beware of fraudulent check scams

Like many seniors, Charlotte Stout is used to being targeted by scammers.

A recent incident prompted the Hayden woman to call The Press, to alert her peers to be on their toes.

Stout said she recently received mail correspondence advising her she won a contest.

But that wasn’t unusual.

“I get these all the time. We are elderly,” Stout said, adding that she is 73 and her husband is 78.

What sparked Stout’s curiosity was the enclosed check for $886 and a number to call so she could pay the taxes on her winnings of $44,000, and collect the “lump sum.”

Stout placed the call and was advised to immediately cash the check which was drawn on a Wells Fargo bank account.

She didn’t cash it or deposit it, but instead brought the check to her bank where she learned it was a forged copy of a check stolen from a business in Minneapolis.

If Stout had been able to deposit or cash the check, she would have likely been told by the fraudsters to wire the “tax” money right away. Later, the check would be identified as fraudulent, and Stout would have already sent the money with no recourse because the wired funds would be unrecoverable.

Stout said she knew what would happen, but she’s not sure all seniors are aware these checks look so legitimate.

She said it’s frustrating to receive mail scams on an almost daily basis.

“I bet I won $5 million last week,” Stout said.

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Maureen Dolan can be reached at mdolan@cdapress.com.