Crowley Officials Give

Tips On Check Cashing

CROWLEY, La. —With numerous bad checks being handled by the Crowley Police Department and the Crowley City Court in recent weeks and with the prospects of more cropping up during the Easter shopping season, Police Chief Maxie Barousse and Judge Edmund M. Reggie today issued a checklist for merchants a n d business people tagged the "Ten Commandments of Check Cashing." The points listed are these:

—Don't be afraid to ask questions about a check and its

passer. Above all don't let a stranger hurry you.

—Never cash a check that shows any sign of alteration or mutilation.

—Always demand that a check be endorsed in your presence. If it is already endorsed, make the endorser sign again, then compare the writing.

—Make sure that a check is drawn by an existing concern or individual on an actual bank.

—Be just as wary of certifi

ed checks or cashier's checks as of ordinary ones.

—Never cash checks for juveniles. They aren't legally responsible, and they may be "runners" for a forgery ring.

—Never endorse a check for anyone you don't know to be reliable.

• If you are a merchant, beware of any unknown customer who offers you a check for more than the amount of his or her purchase.

• If a bankbook is offered as identification, phone the bank named.

—Know your endorser. All identification is printed, legitimate or bogus.

Chief Barousse and Judge Reggie suggest that the 10 rules be clipped and pasted on the cash register as a reminder when checks are being cashed.