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Single women look out, St. Joseph Police say a scam artist is using a phone dating service to cash fake checks.
It`s a crime that has made its way from the Kansas City area into the Midland Empire.
The man meets his victims on Live Links or Quest and convinces would be dates to cash fake checks.
SJPD Sgt. Curtis howard says, "The suspect found this particular victim and befriended her and had her cashing checks for him."
A St. Joseph woman recently became a victim, cashing payroll checks for a man she barely knew.
The scammer promised she could keep some money as a gift for helping him.
"The only difference between this scam and some other scam is that rather than doing it over the mail it was done in person," Howard said.
The love connection will cost the Saint Joseph woman $5,000 dollars.
And she may face criminal charges. Police say if you cash a bogus check, it`s a crime even if you didn`t know.
Businesses like Kovac`s Super Foods- are getting smarter about weeding out bad checks.
They require ID`s and a finger print to cash checks, and use video surveillance cameras.
But some crooks will risk it all.
Kovac`s Assistant Manager Brandon Rich says, "They don`t have any remorse, they come in cash it they use either own ID`s and thump prints. They`re just willing to get caught."
And while banks and places Kovac`s have a system to defect fraudulent checks police say you are your own protection against a scam.
"Don`t cash checks other than your own, and if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is," Howard said.
Telling the bad check from the good isn`t always easy even for the experts.
Police need your help to find the man responsible in this payroll scam.
He`s described as a Hispanic or light skinned black male.
Approximately five-feet-ten inches tall to six-fee-two inches tall.
Victims say he may have a small scar on his upper lip.
And maybe driving a gold late model Lincoln Navigator with Kansas tag.
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