Clayton Police Department
Chamber of Commerce ALERT e-mail # 09-001
Counterfeit Paychecks | January 19, 2009
Authorities in six counties believe that a man has continued to pose as a Waste Management worker and is cashing counterfeit paychecks at predominantly small-town businesses.
Last week, two of the bogus checks were passed by the suspect here in Clayton. The man has presented ID cards with various names depicting his photo. In Clayton, he used a fraudulent Maryland Driver’s License in the name of Orlanda Gaston. (He has also used the name of Donnie Johnson in other jurisdictions.) The counterfeit checks appear to be paychecks from Waste Management company, and the suspect usually wears a Waste Management uniform shirt. The checks appear to be created using a computer and are written for moderate amounts in the $100 to $200 range. The offender usually purchases something then pockets the change, which probably leads to reduced suspicion by businesses asked to cash the checks.
The suspect is a black male and has used different names, but authorities believe that he has access to fake IDs and can create checks in whatever name he prefers using a computer. Information tends to indicate that he has operated this criminal venture in Wake, Granville, Franklin, Vance, and Caswell Counties before showing up in Clayton over the past 10 days. Detective Jason Barnes is investigating the Clayton cases. Anyone with information on these cases may contact him at 919-553-1570 or can call your local 9-1-1 Center.
The following link to NC Wanted has more information and a video of the suspect: http://www.ncwanted.com/ncwanted_home/story/4234491/
As a general rule: All businesses are urged to set up check cashing guidelines - and follow them...
- All checks should follow company guide-lines regardless of the amount.
- Require valid identification to cash a check. Make no exceptions!
- Require management approval for out-of- area checks, if accepted.
- Only accept checks imprinted with the customer’s name, address & bank account number.
- Consider limiting the check to the amount of purchase.
- Consider requiring a thumb print on the check for positive identification.
- Do not accept two-or-more party checks
- Do not accept postdated checks.
- Do not accept checks with alterations.