By Shari Kaplan
Los Gatos police, joined by a growing number of local businesses, are on the lookout for a man they say has been on a yearlong shopping spree using counterfeit travelers' checks.
According to LGPD Sgt. Tricia Friedrich, use of counterfeit travelers' checks is not localized to Los Gatos; it has been occurring throughout the county. In the Los Gatos cases, she says, the checks are made by VISA, are in $100 denominations and are drawn on a variety of banks.
Since June 1995, many Los Gatos businesses have had these checks "returned for details of negotiation" from the bank. According to Friedrich, they include House of Brass, The Rio Thing, Lisa's Tea Treasures, Los Gatos Beauty Outlet, The Wooden Horse, the Los Gatos Chevron station and the Blossom Valley Shell station.
The suspect passing the checks is described as a Middle Eastern man in his late 30s to late 40s, 5 feet 6 inches to 5 feet 9 inches tall, with a stocky build and full head of short hair. He usually wears a sports coat and dress shirt but is not a neat dresser, according to police reports. He usually buys items in the $10 to $12 range, pays for them with a $100 travelers' check and pockets the leftover cash.
"People have to pay attention to the checks and take the time to look them over," Friedrich says, advising that store personnel keep a copy of a real travelers' check on hand to compare to those they receive. She also suggests asking to see customers' identification when accepting a travelers' check.
VISA International offers guidelines on how to determine travelers'-check authenticity, including watermarks, textured printing on the face of the check and perforation marks along the sides. These traits are not reproducible by color photocopiers.
This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, June 5, 1996.
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