Police: Teller got wise to check scam

Having previously cashed three counterfeit checks at a bank in Elmont, police said a Hempstead man pushed his luck, giving a friend 10 counterfeit checks to bring to the bank to cash Wednesday.

But a wary teller alerted police.

Marquis Jones, 24, of Fulton Avenue, Hempstead, and Victor Caputo, 22, of 57th Avenue in Corona, Queens, were arrested at the Chase Bank on Linden Boulevard at 2:30 p.m., Nassau County police said.

Caputo was charged with 10 counts of second-degree possession of a forged instrument, while Jones was charged with third-degree grand larceny and 14 counts of second-degree possession of a forged instrument. Both men were scheduled for arraignment Thursday in First District Court in Hempstead.

Police said Jones went to the bank on March 25 and cashed three counterfeit checks, then on April 22 went back to the bank, presented a fraudulent withdrawal slip to a teller and got cash again.

But the scheme unraveled Wednesday when Jones gave 10 fake checks to Caputo and Caputo tried to cash them at the same bank branch, police said.