El Monte police jail three on suspicion of massive check fraud

EL MONTE -- Two women and a man were behind bars Thursday on suspicion of stealing, altering and cashing checks, authorities said.
Melissa Santone, 30, of El Monte, Yvette Campbell, 41, of El Monte and Josue Flores, 33, of Chino were booked Wednesday on suspicion of forgery and making fictitious checks, El Monte police Detective Ralph Batres.
More than 100 people are believed to have been victimized by the scammers, he added.
Detectives Tim Siedentopp and George Fierro had been conducting an investigation into the theft of City of El Monte checks and tracked possible suspects to a Motel 6 3429 Peck Road, Batres said.
Police pulled over Santone as she drove away from the motel and discovered "numerous fraudulent and altered checks," the detective said.
Police then returned to the motel and arrested Campbell and Flores, Batres said.
"A search of Santone's room revealed numerous stolen person business checks and electronic devices to create and alter the checks, including items consistent with check fraud and stolen U.S. Mail," Batres said.
More than 100 checks were seized altogether, and they had been organized by street, officials said.
Officials were still working Thursday to identify the majority of the victims.
To avoid becoming a victim of a similar crime, Batres said police suggest using locking mailboxes when possible, and hand-delivering important outgoing mail such as checks to the post office.
Area resident are also advised to keep an eye on their bank statements and immediately report anything suspicious.
El Monte police expected to turn the investigation over to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the suspects will likely face federal charges, Batres added.
According to county booking records, the suspects were being held in lieu of $20,000 bail at the El Monte Police Department's jail. Their initial court dates were not available.