This arrest in Lincoln, NE didn’t make the national news, but it does show how far some people will go to take advantage of others. On Apr. 4., Derrick Andrews, 22, of Georgia was charged with three counts of second-degree forgery by Lincoln  police for his involvement in a check-cashing scam that has been dubbed “Operation Homeless.”

A presentation given by Assistant United States Attorney John Cowles on Mar. 14, 2012 to a conference in Kansas City described how the scam works. “The scheme starts with theft of mail from mailboxes at business parks. Incoming and outgoing checks are stolen for the purpose of obtaining the bank routing information and the authorized signatures on the business accounts.”

On Apr. 4, in an interview on KLKN-TV in Lincoln after police arrested Andrews, Officer Katie Flood said, “We learned that men had come into LIncoln and offered the transients lodging in a hotel and fast food meals.” The scam relies on transient men to cash checks. The men are offered a portion of the check as well as fast food if they participate. After the arrest of the three transients who had cashed the checks, police discovered a rental car that had been used by the man who had recruited them. When police processed the car, they found a fingerprint belonging to Derrick Andrews in the car.

Police arrested Andrews during a traffic stop. He was positively identified by the transients involved and video surveillance confirmed his involvement.

With April 15 fast approaching, we’re squarely in the midst of tax season. What would happen if you were approached or saw a flyer about free money from the IRS? Would you go for it? After all, you’ve paid in taxes over the years, right? Why not?

The IRS (irs.gov) recently released what it calls the “Dirty Dozen” for tax scams in 2013. Among those scams is one in which flyers or advertisements for free money from the IRS prompt taxpayers to file a tax return with little or no documentation. Apparently, these flyers have been appearing in community churches around the country. According to the IRS, “These schemes promise refunds to people who have little or no income and normally don’t have a tax filing requirement – and are also often spread by word of mouth as unsuspecting and well-intentioned people tell their friends and relatives.”

Scammers also use the promise of non-existent Social Security refunds or rebates to reel in their victims. And, if being taken in by a someone who gets you to file false tax information isn’t enough, if you do this intentionally, you could also be fined by the IRS.

Would it be bad form to call this spam email the French connection to phishing? Probably. So let’s not go there. As I reported in my Crime & Courts column on Examiner.com, Desjardins, has become the hook of choice used in a new email phishing scheme. The email, which is written in French, states that the recipient has won a weekly prize of $1000.00. As is the norm for these types of emails, the recipient must  fill out a claim form to receive the prize.

I’ve received two of these emails this week and, while I knew the emails were a scam, got curious. What did all those French words mean? Something about a contest and $1,000? Fortunately, I have a friend, Mary Jane Roe (www.roezes.com), who writes mystery-adventure novels set in France. To cut right to the chase, she speaks the lingo and was happy to translate for me.

Dear Desjardins client,

This message has been sent to you automatically by your Desjardins fund.

You have won the prize of the week.

Your prize is $1000.

You need to enter your information below in order to receive your prize.

Your prize will then be deposited directly into your Desjardins account within 4 to 6 weeks.

How cool would that be? Automatically winning a thousand bucks. As MJ might say, “Merd.” If only it were true. If you’d like, read the full article on Examiner.com.