Scam artists tried to pull one over on Kennewick police sergeant. Here’s what he did

When a Kennewick police sergeant arrived at work to find a check for nearly $2,000, he knew something was wrong.

“First of all I knew that I hadn’t done anything to earn this $2,000 check, and that was the first clue for me that something wasn’t right,” said Sgt. Chris Littrell in a Facebook video.

The check is one of several ending up in the hands of unwary Tri-City residents, Littrell said. Scam artists have people deposit most of the check, but cash a little of it to send back to the scam artist.

A few days later the the check bounces, leaving the victim without any money and having funded the scam.

After receiving several reports from people who were victims of the scam, the sergeant knew what to look for when one arrived for him.

Some of the signs are the envelope’s label appears to be printed from a home computer. The check paper looked like printer paper.

“Always check with the financial institution that issued the check and your financial institution to make sure there is no possibility that it’s going to end up being a fake check,” he said.

The best way for people to stand up to the scam artists is by educating themselves and others, Littrell said.

This story was originally published March 9, 2018 at 11:23 AM with the headline "Scam artists tried to pull one over on Kennewick police sergeant. Here’s what he did."