Financial Crimes Detectives Charge Two in Check Scam

Posted on December 17, 2014 by FCPD Public Affairs Bureau

Financial Crimes detectives investigate thousands of complex cases involving monetary scams and fraud every year, and work hard to protect the dollars of residents, corporations and institutions in the County.

Last week, detectives charged two men with duping banking institutions with a “new check” scam. Suspects are accused of opening bank accounts on numerous occasions, with fraudulent checks and attempting to cash new checks, gleaning thousands of dollars before the checks had a chance to clear.

The banks, however, noticed discrepancies and flagged the accounts. The alleged scams came to an end when officers were called to a “fraud in progress” at around 1 p.m. Friday, December 12 at Sandy Spring Bank at 8501 Arlington Boulevard. Working collaboratively with bank security and other personnel, detectives uncovered a series of alleged transactions that indicated thousands of dollars and numerous banking institutions appeared to have been affected by the scam.

Detectives charged two Alexandria-area men, Jesus Rauda Ayala, 19 and Bassim Showeih Al-shahmani, 47, with forgery, uttering, and obtaining money on false pretenses.