Be aware of imitation checks

   To the editor:
    On June 5, 2008, my daughter, 19, received via FedEx a check in the amount of $2,200.45. The check looked very real including the artificial watermark a lot of checks now have. Instead of depositing this amount into her bank account, she called me to ask me why this particular bank, First Community Credit Union, from Houston, would be sending her a check. She hadn’t applied for any loans. She was expecting her stimulus check; however it didn’t appear to be an IRS check.     She looked the bank up online and sure enough it was a legitimate bank with the same address, City, and State. I called the number listed. The lady from the bank said it was not their routing number or account number. She asked us to fax it to her for the accounting department to investigate the check. After reviewing the check the lady called to tell us the check was in fact one of their checks. Somehow someone had obtained a check prior to the routing number and account number being added. It was a fraudulent check.
    Luckily my daughter knew enough to keep the FedEx tracking label. I traced the tracking number back to Albuquerque. The FedEx label was filled out and printed off line, and then the check was electronically sent to the FedEx location in N.M., where it went to and sent out of Memphis, Portland, Presque Isle and then delivered to her without a signature in Houlton. This means the person responsible for this check could not be identified by camera.
    The Texas bank is launching their own investigation, because I guess there is not much authorities can do about this type of crime. However, I felt it important to pass on the information to the public in order to prevent someone from being a victim of this crime. According to the bank in Houston, the perpetrator waits for the victim to deposit it into their account and somehow obtains the victims account number. From there they empty the money out of the victims account. I have a feeling the targeted victims are the young and the elderly.
    I was more interested in my daughter’s identity being stolen. I ran a free credit report. Luckily, it seems no activity has occurred on her behalf.
Theresa Long
Houlton