Because we live in a time when most people use cards or cash, Scott Police Chief Chad Leger says criminals are taking advantage of businesses that aren’t trained or prepared to look for fake checks. 

Leger says fraudulent checks are common in the area.

“You see it here in Scott, you see it anywhere you have retail stores, mostly grocery stores.”

He says the best way to avoid falling victim is for those taking the checks to know what to look for. Nunu’s Cajun Market cashier, Brittany James, says people use checks at the store often.

She tells News 10 she’s been trained to take the proper steps when inspecting a check,

“Whenever you get a check, you’ll just ask for their ID and verify their name and address to make sure that it’s them and you refer to the picture.”

But Chief Leger says, sometimes, that’s not enough. “What’s in trend and what’s going on today in the fraudulent world, tomorrow it may not. So it’s important to stay on top of those things.”

That’s why, James says, she uses a machine as an extra precaution to determine the check’s authenticity,

“Whenever you put the check in, and it goes through, it’ll give you a whole list of codes like if it’s declined, if the account is inactive. It’ll actually tell you all of that. So you know when you have a fraudulent check.”

Leger says the use of fake checks is a reoccurring issue. In fact, his department is already investigating another similar case.