"Scam check cashed" . . . allegedly knowingly

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Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2009 8:57 pm

Well, as much as I despise the anonymous scammers who have succeeded in preying upon people in my community,
there is apparently at least one local person who tried to use a scam to turn a profit for herself. Crying or Very sad

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This story is from the Saturday, April 4, 2009 Edition of the Press Enterprise

Police: Scam check cashed

By KRISTIN BAVER
Press Enterprise Writer

CATAWISSA — A Catawissa woman knew a check for nearly $4,000 was part of a scam, but she still cashed it and spent almost all of the money before a bank caught on, police say.

Tracy Leigh Bickert, 34, told police she thought the check was a loan she had applied for over the Internet when it came in the mail earlier this year.

But police allege Bickert knew the check was fraudulent, and ignored directions to send much of the money to a Nova Scotia address.

She instead took the money for herself, charges say.

Then, a month later, she told police about the scam check, but only so she wouldn't have to reimburse the bank, authorities believe.

Police: Spent all but $49

Here's what police say happened:

On Feb. 6, Bickert opened a new account at First Columbia Bank & Trust here, depositing the check for $3,985.

Bickert paid about $386 to the bank, owed from a previous account, and took out about $1,500 the same day.

The next day, Bickert returned and wrote herself a check for $1,000 cash. In the memo line, she wrote: loan, shopping, bills.

Two days later, on Feb. 9, she wrote herself another check for $1,050 cash, leaving just $49 from the original check, according to Press Enterprise calculations.

The same day, bank officials were notified the check was fraudulent.

Over the next two weeks, the bank says it notified Bickert that the check was bad and the money would have to be repaid.

Claims she was victim

When Bickert contacted bank officials, she claimed she was the victim of a mail scam.

Bickert presented a letter purportedly from Nova Scotia, which promised a $50,000 prize. She said she received the prize letter after getting the check.

Catawissa Police Sgt. Anthony Kopitsky, who investigated the case, said he's never heard of a scammer sending the check and letter separately.

Plus, the letter said the check was enclosed, and urged Bickert to call a number for further instructions. "She didn't do what the letter stated," he added.

On March 6, Bickert called police to report the scam.

But authorities believe Bickert had already been notified the bank would take action against her if the money wasn't repaid. So Bickert reported the crime in hopes of getting off the hook, they say.

Kopitsky also says Bickert likely knew the check wasn't real, but had no reservations about spending the money.

"If there were any questions at all, then she should have waited until it cleared," he added.

Bickert, who lives on the first floor of 318 Main St., could not be reached for comment before press time.

She is charged with a felony count of theft, plus bad checks.

Kristin Baver covers southern Columbia County. She can be reached at 387-1234 ext. 1310 or [email protected].

419Eater is my life Joined: 25 Feb 2009 Posts: 299

Seriously... How stupid do people get? I understand the temptation, but surely its obvious you won't get away with spending the money... Rolling Eyes

Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2009 12:04 am

lareneg wrote:

Seriously... How stupid do people get?

To some people who will never get rich, 'Rich For A Day' is probably worth the grief afterwards. It's a once in a lifetime chance.

When Roy gets a lad cheque, he buys a Camaro, gets drunk in the Rovers, and crashes the Camro on the Red Rec.

My bank annoyed be by sending me, unsolicited, a real cheque for £5,000. If I'd cashed it though, I'd have been in hock to them for years.

Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2009 12:21 am

^^I got a couple of those a few years ago. Reading the fine print said that the interest rate on the money would be something like 29%... Shocked

@ the news story, there seem to be plenty of people who would take something that isn't really theirs. There was a news story in which a drug dealer threw cash out of the window of the vehicle he was driving to help evade arrest. The police were then looking for the people who scooped up the cash from the road way.

Someone told me that "Locks only help keep honest people honest." Evil or Very Mad

I hope that her story helps raise awareness about scams there. Sadly, most people I have met would cashe the check too. I hope she does some time for her defrauding the bank. Confused

Posted: Mon Apr 06, 2009 5:23 pm

I spend more time answering victim/would-be victim posts and emails than baiting these days. Let me tell you, it scares me how many people think the big, bad, insured bank will simply eat the loss or "go after" the person who wrote it when the bad check is discovered. Where they get this idea, I don't know, but I sure wish banks would do more to disabuse them of it. Evidently they read the same handbook that convinces some lads that "the government" doesn't let 419 victims lose any money.

I've actually had people who were desperate for some cash ask me if they could get away with cashing it for the short term. They were seriously so hard up for some cash right then, they wanted the system to be set up in such a way that they could get away with it for at least a little while. When I start tossing words like "felony" around, they tend to discard that idea.

Wannabe Baiter Joined: 18 Mar 2009 Posts: 80

Honestly I put the fault on the bank for being stupid enough to cash the check.

"Scam check cashed" . . . allegedly knowingly	View next topic View previous topic