Tellers Foil Counterfeiters

GREEN BAY, Wis. - (04/11/06) -- Alert tellers at several area creditunions are being credited with helping to crack a counterfeit checkring. Six suspects are scheduled to be charged this week withcashing at least $20,000 of counterfeit payroll checks on two localbusinesses on several area credit unions. The suspects openedmembership accounts at the credit unions with minimum deposits,then cashed the phony checks at various branches of those creditunions. Two tellers at Pioneer CU became suspicious of the checksand contacted police. Another teller at Horizon CU tracked down thecheck origins, then called police, who told her to stall thesuspects until they got there. Police arrived in time to arrestthree of the suspects in the parking lot. At least four of thesuspects were doomed, anyway, said police, because they signedtheir real names on the counterfeit checks and would have beentracked down eventually.