A type of crime is on the increase in Penobscot County and it’s costing residents and business owners a lot of money. It’s called financial crime, or white-collar crime, and the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Department is working to eliminate it through tough enforcement and education.

Wayne Crevoiserat has recently been assigned as the department’s financial crime investigator. Already his file cabinet is full of on-going investigations that range from check-bouncing cases to elaborate and costly scams.

It is important the public be aware that the problem is growing and learn how to identify a possible financial scam, said Crevoiserat.

With construction season approaching, Crevoiserat advised homeowners to use caution when hiring contractors to paint houses or pave driveways.

“There are professional people who make a living pulling scams. They are well organized,” he said.

Often people pulling the scams will appear professional and give the homeowner an estimate for the work. The homeowner is then asked to pay for the materials up front and often the supposed contractor is never seen again.

Crevoiserat said some scam-pulling groups actually do the work, but use inferior materials or fail to complete the entire job.

The best way to avoid being a victim of such a scam is to check references.

“Look for good local references and check with the police if you are not absolutely sure the person is legitimate. Ask for identification. Don’t be afraid to check. If the person is honest they won’t mind you checking them out,” he said.

A problem that continues to plague area merchants is bounced checks. Check-cashing crimes are not easily prosecuted because it is necessary to prove in court that the writer intentionally deprived the victim of the money, said Crevoiserat.

Victims must complete a 4-page form provided by the District Attorney’s Office. The form asks the victim to identify the check writer by name and to describe the person’s race, age, height, weight, hair color and length. It also asks where the writer claimed to have worked, phone number, drivers license number, description of the automobile they were driving and a description of anyone accompanying the writer.

Checks written for under $50 or more than 60 days old are not accepted for prosecution.

Crevoiserat said the following steps should be taken to avoid being a victim of a bounced check:

Ask yourself if you have absolute confidence in the person writing the check.

Insist on two forms of identification.

Refrain from taking two-party checks or treasury checks.

Record the writer’s date of birth on the check. This will help authorities track the person should the check bounce.

If a check bounces and the person who wrote the check provides the victim with a partial payment, the case is not prosecutable, Crevoiserat said. Therefore the victim should have confidence in the check writer before accepting a partial payment, he said.

Also on Crevoiserat’s “to-be-cautious-of list” are door-to-door salesmen and over-the-phone solicitors.

“Never, ever, give your credit card number over the telephone,” is Crevoiserat’s suggestion.

Anyone selling products door-to-door should be registered with the state’s sales tax divison, he said.