A Surrey woman is facing numerous fraud-related charges after she targeted Langley victims in a fake cheque scheme.
The suspect spent October and November spinning tales of woe to local residents, said Cpl. Holly Largy, spokesperson for the Langley RCMP.
Several times, victims were approached and fed the same story, Largy said. The woman claimed to have just moved to the area and lost her identification.
She needed to cash a personal cheque, the woman would say, and didn’t want to be charged fees at a cheque-cashing store.
She asked the suspect to take the cheque and cash it at their bank. Meanwhile, they would pay her back with either cash – from ATMs or debit purchases with cash back – or by buying gift cards.
Unfortunately, the woman’s cheques were no good. In one case, a victim lost almost $1,000, and found out that the suspect’s cheque was drawn on an account that was closed three years ago.
Sherri Jean Lee Clarke, 34, has been charged with two counts of identity theft, use of a forged document, possession of a fraudulent credit card, nine counts of possession of stolen property, possession of stolen identity documents, and fraud.
When arrested, she was allegedly in possession of stolen cheques totalling more than $11,000.
She is scheduled to appear in Surrey Provincial Court on Dec. 9.