Buffalo police warn of fraud

The Buffalo Police Department has received information of White Collar Crime Fraud Ring targeting citizens of Leon County.

A Citizen received a legitimate looking check payable to him in the amount of $5,000.00. The check was sent in a UPS Envelope with instructions to deposit the check into their account.

An email was received shortly after telling the person that they could keep a portion of the check by sending them a “fee”.

THIS IS A SCAM!!!!

Never deposit a check from an unknown person. By doing so, it gives the thieves your bank account number and routing number and instead of having an extra $5,000.00 in your account, you will more than likely find your account in a negative balance.

Most of these scams ask you to deposit the check and to send them a portion of the check. When you do so, a few days later, the bank notifies you that the check was fake or forged and charges the check back to your account. The money you sent to the scammer is never seen again.

These scams are very hard to prosecute. They are routed through many different channels and usually end up with your money in a foreign country.

If you feel that you have received such a solicitation, you should contact the INTERNET CRIME COMPLAINT CENTER AT www. ic3.gov .

The IC3 is co-sponsored by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C). Complaints filed via this website are processed and may be referred to federal, state, local or international law enforcement or regulatory agencies for possible investigation.