The Cass County Sheriff’s Office has received reports of a scam in which persons receive counterfeit postal money orders made out for between $900 and just under $1,000 and are delivered in a priority or express mail envelope.
Typically, the envelope has an address on it from one person while the money orders have separate address from another person. The money orders are made out to the victim.
The postal money orders appear to be real, however, upon inspection by the post office it was determined that the money orders are fake.
The scam is intended to allow the scam artists access to the victim’s account number and drain all funds from the account after the postal money orders are deposited.
By the time the bank determines that the money orders are fake the victims’ finances are gone.
Anyone who receives checks, bank drafts, money orders or other such documents unsolicited in the mail should report the incident immediately. Post office employees can advise people who were concerned about the authenticity of postal service money orders.
One resource for such scams and tips to avoid them is the Better Business Bureau’s website at www.bbb.org. or the Federal Trade Commissions website at www.ftc.gov.