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Quick-Thinking Bank Teller Foils Man’s Attempt to Cash $12,000 Stolen Check

by Ryan Yousefi July 31, 2020

by Ryan Yousefi July 31, 2020 18 views

citibank bank

By Ryan Yousefi

Thanks to the suspicious Citibank teller, a man has been charged with grand theft and fraud after attempting to cash a $12,000 stolen check at a Coral Springs bank.

Carlos Manuel Perez, 62, from The Bronx, New York, was arrested on July 24 after presenting a stolen check to the Citibank branch located at 2789 North University Drive. In all, Perez was charged with fraud schemes that total more than $50,000.

The Coral Springs Polic received a call on July 24 at 2:45 p.m. from Citibank claiming a man was attempting to cash a sizeable fraudulent check. Upon arrival, CSPD encountered Perez trying to leave the bank and placed him into custody.

Police say Perez approached the Citibank teller with a $12,000 check made out to the victim of the scheme — a man that lives in New York. Perez also presented a fake driver’s license that matched the victim’s name.

As Perez attempted to deposit the check, he indicated to the teller that he would like to withdrawal $7,000 of the check. According to the report, the teller first became suspicious of Perez once he was unable to answer two security questions placed on the account for attempted large withdrawals.

Once Perez was unable to answer the security questions, the report says the teller then excused herself from the counter and reported to her manager that she suspected she was dealing with a crime in progress. The teller then returned and asked Perez to verify his phone number; however, he was unable to provide the correct number on file.

Once Perez was unable to recite the correct phone number, the teller placed a call to the number Citibank had on the account and made contact with the victim. The victim verified that he was, in fact, not in South Florida and not at CitiBank, attempting to cash a check.

The victim also verified that no one but he was authorized to use the account, and no one had taken a check to the bank on his behalf.

After further investigation, police discovered an eyeglass case Perez had brought to the counter where written inside were notes containing personal information about the victim.

According to the teller, Perez continuously looked at his eyeglass case as she asked him for answers to the security questions.

Once apprehended, Perez was also found to have a credit card with the name of the victim on it.

Perez told police that he flew from New York to South Florida to specifically cash the stolen check. Also, Perez says associates sent him, and that he did not personally take the items.

The victim, in the case, as well as Citibank, chose to press charges.

Perez was taken to the Coral Springs Police Department for processing, then transported to the main Broward County jail.

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Author Profile

Ryan Yousefi

Ryan Yousefi has lived in Coral Springs for over 30 years. He has worked as a writer for multiple outlets over the years, including the Miami New Times where he has covered sports and culture since 2013. He holds a Bachelor's Degree and a Master's Degree in Business Healthcare Management from Western Governors University.