As if business operators don’t have enough to worry about during this economic downturn, now comes word from the Door County Sheriff’s Department that counterfeit traveler’s checks have surfaced in the Northern part of the county. The fake $100 traveler’s checks have been used to purchase small items from a shop or business, with the perpetrator taking the change & the business being left “holding the bag”. Local law enforcement says the fake traveler’s checks are difficult to spot. In fact, most businesses & banks are unaware they are bogus until they make their way through the bank routing system. And, it’s the individual businesses that are responsible for the loss of money, not the bank. The Door County Sheriff’s Department is alerting area businesses that phony traveler’s checks have been passed in the county & to be wary about accepting them, especially with two busy weekends coming up. Businesses may decide not to accept traveler’s checks of $100 or more as a way of protecting themselves. The discovery of any suspicious traveler’s checks should be reported to the Door County Sheriff’s Department at (920)-746-2416.
