By Cindy Schroeder
Enquirer staff writer

BURLINGTON - A Florence man is facing a felony charge in connection with a "check washing" scheme here.

Dennis R. Mobley, 32, who's being held in the Hamilton County Detention Center, was charged with theft of mail matter Friday, said Tom Scheben, spokesman for the Boone County sheriff's department. The Class D felony carries a penalty of up to a $1,000 fine and one to five years in prison.

Authorities haven't determined if Mobley was acting alone, Scheben said.

During the past eight to 10 weeks, the Boone County sheriff's department has investigated six cases where mail was reported stolen from residential mailboxes in Burlington, Scheben said. Authorities believe the thefts were part of a check washing scheme and have notified U.S. Postal Inspectors serving Northern Kentucky.

Check washers typically use common household chemicals to remove all ink, or handwritten information, from a check except for the signature, which is taped over, Scheben said. To the naked eye, the check appears to be unaltered, essentially giving the criminal a blank check with the owner's signature.

"I think your more savvy thieves also are taking personal information from these checks and using them to make fake IDs,'' Scheben said.

Authorities are still adding up the total thefts in the Boone County cases. However, most of the transactions tendered on the washed checks are for less than $100, Scheben said. From what police have been able to determine, the perpetrators were buying goods like cigarettes or gas, items that could be traded or re-sold on the black market.

To avoid becoming a victim of check washing, the National Check Fraud Center recommends mailing bills from work, dropping them in a collection box or taking them to the post office. Avoid leaving mail in an unlocked mailbox on Sundays and holidays when letter carriers don't work.

"If you must mail bills out (from your personal mailbox), set them out just before your carrier arrives or hand them to your carrier,'' Scheben said.

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E-mail cschroeder@enquirer.com