Police alerted to scam after receiving $4,000 check

Think police are immune from scam artists? They’re not. "Free money" in the form of a $4,000 was the clue that all was not right.

Knowing that certain African countries have long been known as the source of many Internet scams that offer unsuspecting victims free money, or great rewards for helping them cash in funds they say are rightfully theirs, police suspicions were immediately roused. Police in Richland, Washington, were wary when they received a cashier’s check from the African country of Benin through the mail, and although police officials said they were tempted to cash the check, because their department could certainly use the extra money, they weren’t buying into the idea of free money. Officers immediately recognized it as a bogus attempt to learn bank account information if the check was deposited into the department‘s bank account, said Officer Erica Tungesvik. A police report was written up about the incident, and Tungesvik said it served as a reminder that if the police can be the target of such a scam, anyone can.