Bank caught by check ‘kiting’

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, May 14, 2003

Law enforcement officials call is "check kiting." Others might simply call it a unique way to rip off a bank.

Demopolis Police have honed in on a suspect in one of those check kiting scams that, most times, get caught by the bank. Earlier this week, Robertson Bank reported to police that someone had craftily made off with $2,300.

According to Det. Sgt. Tim Soronen, a suspect entered the local bank and opened a new account.

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This time, though, bankers did not catch the scheme.

While Robertson found itself in a quick $2,300 hole after a suspect made off with the money, the bank quickly reported the fraudulent transaction to police.

While police have not made an arrest in the case yet, Soronen said a suspect is well in range, and he expects an arrest to be made shortly.

Though Soronen said most people don’t get away with the check kiting ploy, he did say banks must take extreme caution when people open new accounts. He said it’s wise to run the check through an electronic system that verifies if the money is present.