Check fraud plagues valley

For a cashier at a business, it is a difficult position to be in. The gas is in the car and the customer is at the counter, check in hand, I.D. forgotten, ready to pay. There isn't really a choice; the cashier must trust the customer and take the check.

But the dangers of 'trusting customers' is on the rise in Lake County.

It is a form of identity theft easier than stealing credit cards, mostly because checks take much longer to process.

According to a Polson business owner, it can take up to two weeks for a bank to process a bad check, and by then, the culprit has already skipped town. The owner asked to remain anonymous to protect his business.

"On a sale, you can't determine whether the check is bad or not," he said. You have to wait for the bank, and by then, they've skipped town. The stories I've heard about people's checkbooks being stolen just go on and on."

Lake County business owners and banks are feeling the effects of the sudden rash of check fraud.

"I believe it has something to do with the meth problem around here," the business owner said. "People use bad checks to support their habits."

According to county Sheriff's detective Kim Leibenguth, now is the time for citizens, banks, and business owners to educate themselves.

"This is a problem that hurts everyone," Leibenguth said. "Businesses lose money, banks become liable, and it's a hassle for the victim."

According to Leibenguth, city, county and CSKT detectives are working on solving "tons" of fraudulent check cases. All of the cases seem to be somewhat connected but have been committed by different people, Leibenguth said. The furthes reported case of check fraud connected to this particular spike came from Spokane, Washington.

"The most important thing people need to know is that if they suspect their account has been compromised, they need to go to the bank right away," Leibenguth said. "And they need to hide their checks. Checks from current accounts should always be close to you or in a safe place, and checks from old accounts should be destroyed and shredded so that they can't be salvaged from the garbage."

While Leibenguth is encouraging citizens to become educated on proper check care, she is also working closely with local banks and businesses to help them learn to prevent fraud.

"Business clerks should always I.D. a person who is trying to pay with a check or make the customer write the check out in front of them," Leibenguth said.

Most importantly, businesses need some sort of uniformity. Leibenguth mentioned that, when a check is denied at one business, the criminal will often simply make the check out to a different place and use it there.

"There is no quick fix. It's taking a long time, but we're working together and it's progressively getting better," Leibenguth said. "The best way we can improve is through prevention."

According to the business owner, there are also private email lists in town between businesses and the police department that alert likely targets when certain checks and identities are reported stolen.

"It's tough because there aren't great means to deal with it," the source said. "We're getting to the point where businesses won't be able to take checks."

This is especially unfortunate because elderly people in particular continue to depend on their checkbooks as a means of payment, Leibenguth said.