March 29, 1999
Tips for guarding against bad checks
Tiffin Police say businesses can help protect themselves against bad checks in several ways:
- Contact the check writer's bank to see if the account has sufficient funds.
- Be wary of checks for which the check writer writes an amount significantly more than the cost of the merchandise.
- Be wary of low check numbers.
- Look for indications of a newly opened account, even if the check number is fairly high. Often, the date the account opened is printed on a check and can be used for cross-reference.
- Institute a policy under which employees require a check writer to furnish a picture ID,and provide a date of birth, social security or driver's license number.
- Get the check writer's current address or phone number, or even a car license plate number.
- Be wary of customers who come from far away and spend a lot of money. In one case, police say a person was from southern Ohio, came to Tiffin and wrote a check for $300 on groceries.
- Refuse to take a check. Police say a business has the right to refuse any customer's business.