Wisconsin Business’ Checks Altered, Signed ‘Sherlock Holmes’

“He got himself into a fog recently over a forgery case …”

– A Study in Scarlet (STUD)

A Walworth County, Wisconsin detective is seeking information about checks from a local business that were altered and cashed after being signed “Sherlock Holmes.”

The routing and account numbers on “several” checks are the same as the business’ checks, but the fraudulent checks are printed in a different font size and stamped “Sherlock Holmes,” said Detective Troy Pagenkopf of the Walworth County Sheriff’s Office.

Pagenkopf could not disclose the business or number of checks because the investigation is ongoing, he said.

The business filed a complaint with the sheriff’s office in August 2014 after checks were issued to three different people living in Texas, North Carolina and Arizona. The checks were deposited into their accounts, and the cash was swiftly withdrawn, Pagenkopf said.

The checks were issued to Courtney M. Stokes, Jacquelyn B. Ballard and Delafea Deladonte Dixon. It’s not known if the three are suspects or victims, the detective said.

The series of events is similar to a scam called “card cracking,” Pagenkopf said.

Under the scam, a person may ask someone for his debit account number and pin number and use that account for making deposits. The person who owns the account thinks he will get part of the money deposited, but often that’s not the case.

The last deposit was around August 2014 at a bank in Tinley Park, Illinois. The identity of the two men who made the deposit from their car is unknown.

The sheriff’s office is asking anyone with information to contact Pagenkopf at 262-741-4426 or tpagenko@co.walworth.wi.us.

This story was originally published on May 22, 2015 in the GazetteXtra, the news organization based in Janesville and Rock and Walworth counties of Wisconsin. The original article can be viewed here.

Thanks to Karen Murdock of the Hounds of the Internet for bringing this to our attention.