Bowling Green Police Division is investigating check fraud reported by Bowling Green City School District Treasurer Cathy Schuller.
Schuller called the police last week about four incidents of school district checks being cashed fraudulently.
The first two were found in August of 2023, and the district was made whole by the bank. But when two more checks were stolen and cashed, Schuller called police to make a report.
Schuller said the district initially found two automatic payments that were deducted from the school district bank account at a local bank. The suspects pretended to be recipients of the automatic payments, and it is still unknown how it occurred, but the account has been closed. One was an $885 withdrawal for a People’s Gas payment and the other was a $271 withdrawal for a Comed payment bill.
Both of those checks were drawn from the account electronically.
The bank is investigating those past two claims, and reimbursed the school district.
However, the district then fell victim to two more thefts, Schuller reported. In these later cases, the paper checks were stolen and taken to a bank and cashed. A $2,451 paper check sent to Sunbelt Rentals for equipment rentals was cashed in September in Atlanta, Georgia.
Schuller showed police the returned check copy, that was not “washed” and was signed by unknown names on the back.
The other paper check, for $55 to Ohio History Connection in Columbus, was also not “washed” and was cashed in November in Columbus.
Schuller said it would be helpful if banks would double check the names of people cashing the checks to see if they are the true recipients.
It is unknown how the checks are being intercepted. There are currently no suspects. And it is unknown if the district will be compensated for the last two fraudulent cashings, Schuller told police.
The last two thefts are being investigated by the bank, but Schuller also wanted to report the incidents to the police division.
