Police Warn Fake Check Scams Are Hitting South Suburbs

TINLEY PARK, IL — Police are warning residents to disregard two common scams that are making their way through the south suburbs again. One involves counterfeit checks. The other, secret shopping.

They both come in many variations. For the counterfeit checks, the most common scam involves someone claiming to be from a foreign country announcing that the recipient has won the lottery. To claim the prize, the winner has to deposit a check and wire the money to an overseas account to cover fees and taxes.

This is a scam, authorities said, and the check is fake. If a bank cashes the check and determines it is not real, responsibility for all of the money falls on the person who deposited it.

In the second scam, someone publishes an ad seeking secret shoppers. These usually target stay-at-home moms. An employment packet containing instructions and a check are sent to the shopper. The shopper deposits the check, subtracts product costs and alleged salary, and then wires the remainder to an overseas account.

Again, police said, this is fake. The person who deposits the check will be responsible for the money and fees.

Authorities urge anyone who thinks the have received a notice or who are victims of a scam to report it to the Illinois Attorney General's Consumer Protection hotline at 1-800-386-5438.

"The Tinley Park Police Department would like to remind our residents about two scams that people have recently received in the mail," said on Tinley's village Facebook page. "Please remember; IF IT SEEMS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE. . . .IT IS."