COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) – Police are reporting there is a criminal pattern happening in both Colorado Springs and the Falcon targeting more than a dozen people.
According to Colorado Springs Police, cases of “Card Cracking” have been occurring particularly through Snapchat. This is a type of identity theft and check fraud that involves the recruitment of people using social media sites. Police add more than 17 people have been scammed and they are concerned that the victims are mostly teenagers.
The scam starts with a post on social media that claims the victim can make quick cash in a legal way.
“The victims are recruited to meet with a suspect in a hotel parking lot,” Lt. James Sokolik with CSPD wrote in a release sent out on Friday. “The suspect then either takes the victim to an ATM and has the victim deposit a forged check into their bank account; or in some instances, the suspect has the victim open their mobile banking app to make a mobile deposit of the forged check. Once the check is deposited, the victim then withdrawals half of the check’s value to keep for themselves, giving the other half to the suspect. The suspect then drops the victim back off at their vehicle. Soon after, the victim is notified by their bank that the check was forged, and that the victim owes the money back to the bank.”
A suspect in most of these cases is described as a black male, 20 to 30-years-old, 6 foot tall, and approximately 150 pounds.
If you are an unreported victim of this crime, or have any information on this suspect, police ask that you call the CSPD at (719) 444-7000; or if you wish to remain anonymous, you may call the Crime Stoppers Tip Line at (719) 634-STOP (7867) or 1-800-222-8477.
CSPD SHARED THE FOLLOWING TIPS:
- Never meet an unknown person alone.
- Always know the source of checks you are depositing into your accounts.
- Ask to see an ID if making any kind of transactions.
- Be wary of advertisements or posts that offer quick cash (most of the times they are scams).
- Parents, talk to your children about online safety and be informed of how they are interacting online. Here are some safety guides provided by the Colorado Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force: https://coloradoicac.com/safety-guides
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