Customs Officers Snag $212,000 in Fake Checks, Money Orders

PHILADELPHIA – In a move that would make even the best of NFL All Pro cornerbacks jealous, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Express Mail Consignment facility in Philadelphia recorded yet two more prized interceptions recently, a fake bank check with a face value of $40,000 on Tuesday, and 125 fake checks and money orders with a face value of $172,210 on Aug. 21, according to a release.
The seizure was in a parcel manifested as documents, but CBP officers located a $40,000 bank check which bank officials confirmed to be fraudulent. The seizure on Aug. 21 was in a parcel manifested as letters, but during an inspection, CBP officers located 98 money orders totaling $79,870, and 27 bank checks totaling $92,340. Phone calls to each financial institution confirmed that the monetary instruments were indeed fraudulent. CBP officers seized the fake checks and money orders.
So far during Fiscal Year 2008, which is from Oct. 1, 2007 to Sept. 30, 2008, CBP officers at the Express Mail Consignment facility have made 20 seizures of counterfeit monetary instruments with a face value of $428,110. These seizures consisted of 45 checks written for a total of $306,840, 144 money orders written for a total of $117,270, and 40 counterfeit $100 bills totaling $4,000.
As do NFL playmakers, these CBP officers have been filling the stat sheet as of late.
Over the previous six weeks CBP officers at the Express Mail Consignment facility near Philadelphia International Airport have seized 17 parcels that collectively contained 63 pounds of Khat (a schedule I narcotic), 6.750 liters of Gamma-Butyrolactone (GBL, a precursor chemical to make the “date rape” drug), and 160 steroidal pills. For additional details on these seizures, please visit http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/news_releases/08202008.xml.
“These Customs and Border Protection officers do a tremendous job everyday of protecting American citizens and businesses, and this seizure is another excellent example,” said Allan Martocci, CBP Philadelphia Area Port Director. “These fraudulent checks and money orders, had they reached their intended targets, could have caused financial harm and perhaps ruin, especially in today’s economy. Intercepting these illicit parcels is one of our primary concerns.”
CBP officers at the Philadelphia Express Mail Consignment facility are ranked as one of the top ten ports for targeting effectiveness of all priority seizures, including counterfeit monetary instruments, intellectual property rights violations, and illicit narcotics. They pour over dozens of international shipment manifests from thousands of shipped packages that arrive from foreign origins to determine which packages require further scrutiny. Many of the packages they examine result in the seizure of narcotics, counterfeit consumer goods, or counterfeit monetary instruments.