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Manson police chief warns against check scam

Frick: ‘If the deal sounds too good to be true it most likely is’

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
The Manson Police Department is warning against scams involving checks. According to MPD Chief Gerald Frick, victims are mailed a check and asked to cash it. They are then asked to mail a certified check back to the company. The victim is out the money they mail to the company and must pay returned check fees for the bad check.

MANSON — The Manson Police Department is warning against scams that promise to send people money upon completion of a survey.

During the past two weeks, the MPD has received reports in which citizens were mailed checks for under $5,000 in exchange for personal information or allowing a business to advertise on the victim’s vehicle, according to MPD Chief Gerald M. Frick.

“The victims are mailed a check and asked to cash the check,” Frick said. “They are then asked to mail a certified check back to the company.”

Frick is asking the public not to cash these checks.

“The victim is out the money they mail to the company and must pay returned check fees for the bad check,” Frick said.

The MPD has received over $33,000 in these types of checks during the month of February.

According to Frick, the scam takes other forms.

“This is also done to people selling puppies online,” Frick said. “The person will send the victim a check for the puppy plus a fee for shipping it. When you cash the check, you will have bank fees and lose your puppy.

“We have also taken reports of people stealing the identities of recently deceased family members and taking credit cards out in the deceased person’s names. The suspects will order account checks and con people into cashing the account checks and mailing the funds to them in a different state.”

Frick said these scams are prevalent, not just in Manson, but throughout the state.

“It’s been all over,” Frick said. “The IRS calls and others have been worse this time of year, particularly with elderly people.”

Frick, a former police officer in northeastern Iowa, said he dealt with similar scams in that part of the state.

Within the last eight months in Manson he said there was an instance where an elderly woman wanted to send $9,000.

Luckily, the bank asked her what the money was for and was able to prevent her from losing money.

“I had one elderly person who was going to send $9,000 and the bank said, ‘no we aren’t giving the money,'” Frick said. “Had the bank released the money, she would have been out $9,000.”

Frick has one piece of advice.

“Remember if the deal sounds too good to be true it most likely is,” he said.

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