Columbus – State and local authorities are investigating the cashing of three forged checks appearing to be from an account controlled by the Auditor of State’s office. 

The three checks were cashed in the Dayton area, all drawn on an account owned by the Mahoning County Treasurer’s office. 

“For the record, the Auditor’s office has not had check-writing authority in 10 years,” Auditor Dave Yost said. “If anyone receives a check from our office, call law enforcement because it’s bogus.”

Yost noted the irony in someone cashing forged checks under the name of the State Auditor using the checking account number of a county treasurer. 

“That takes guts, but not a lot of brains,” said Yost, a former county prosecutor.

The checks were in the amounts of $562.09, $542.93 and $548.26. The matter was brought to the attention of the Auditor’s office by the Mahoning County sheriff after the checks were cashed on the county’s account. The checks were doctored to appear as if they came from the Auditor but used a check with the account number of the Mahoning County Treasurer.

For those looking to learn more about detecting fraud, the Auditor’s office is hosting a conference May 16-17 on the Emerging Trends in Fraud Investigation and Prevention. To report suspected fraud involving a government in Ohio, please contact the anti-fraud hotline at 1-866-Fraud-OH (1-866-372-8364) or email fraudohio@ohioauditor.gov. Both the hotline and email are anonymous.

NOTE: An earlier version of this release stated the checking account belonged to the Mahoning County Sheriff. It is the account of the Mahoning County Treasurer. 

###

The Auditor of State’s office, one of five independently elected statewide offices in Ohio, is responsible for auditing more than 5,900 state and local government agencies.  Under the direction of Auditor Dave Yost, the office also provides financial services to local governments, investigates and prevents fraud in public agencies and promotes transparency in government.

Contact:
Dominic Binkley
Public Information Officer
614-644-1111