Massive counterfeit cheque sting nabs 77, including one arrest in Canada

 

WASHINGTON - Police in five countries have nabbed more than 77 people and seized about $2.1 billion in counterfeit cheques bound for the United States in a sweeping crackdown that included an arrest in Canada.

The eight-month investigation also targeted schemes in the Netherlands, Nigeria and England that aimed to defraud people by sending them fake cheques and asking for a portion of the money back.

Henry Oshingbene, 39, of Brampton, was charged with four counts of fraud over $5,000 for allegedly contacing U.S. residents and telling them they'd won one million euros in a lottery but needed to pay fees in order to get the money.

Two victims allegedly lost more than $290,000.

Stephen Foster, director of the RCMP's commercial crime branch, said officials across the country have seized nearly 5,000 counterfeit financial documents since April with a face value of more than $13 million.

The mass distribution of phoney cheques, money orders and the like is a growing concern in Canada, Foster told a news conference hosted by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

It's a borderless crime that has enormous financial implications for citizens, governments and the economy, he said.

"I don't think Canadians should worry any more or any less than the Americans," he said. "We have similar financial systems. The pitches are similar, they're made in English. They're just as plausible."

It's easy to fall prey to the schemes, he said, because they sound so reasonable and much of it is done by e-mail.

A new tenant, for instance, may send a cheque for the deposit and rent, but then ask for some cash back to cover unexpected expenses. Meantime, the cheque that goes into the landlord's account bounces because it was fake. If the money was withdrawn, it must be paid back to the bank.

There are lots of other scams, including buying an item in an online auction and paying more than the purchase price so some of the money can be forwarded to someone else to cover the shipping costs.

"I could see someone falling for that kind of pitch," said Foster. "If you don't know who you're dealing with, then maybe you shouldn't take that money."

People who do fall for the scams lose an average of $3,000 to $4,000 each.

"There is no room in the mail for any of these phoney come-ons," said U.S. Postmaster General John Potter.

Many cons affecting Americans start with e-mails from foreign countries about inheritances or lottery wins and ask the victim to help bring the money to the United States.

The victim is asked to cash a cheque that comes in the mail and to send part of the money back to the person sending it, said Greg Campbell, inspector in charge of global security and investigations for the postal service.

Retired people have lost their nest eggs and young families have been defrauded of their savings for a home, Potter said.

Many of the cases originate in the Netherlands, where West African con artists operate from Internet cafes, said Johan Van Hartskamp, commissioner of the Amsterdam police.

"I suspect these scams have been around as long as there's been money," said Laurel Kamen, vice-president of consumer affairs for American Express.

"What's new today is the Internet."

Susan Grant, vice-president of the National Consumers League, said complaints from Americans about phoney cheques have increased by 60 per cent in 2007.

Some Chicago banks have cut their losses by 85 per cent by having a discussion with each customer depositing a cheque and handing out flyers about cheque fraud.

But a law demanding that banks give everyone that kind of full explanation would be helpful, she said.

The scams hit people of all ages and education levels, she said.

"No one's immune."