KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Last weekend, El Nopal 2, a Latino market in Kansas City, Kansas, was targeted by about 40 people, according to owner Ever Hernandez. He said they used fraudulent checks to steal money.
Hernandez is no stranger to cashing checks. Charging a low fee for the service, only 1%, he does it many times a day. With that, he also feels he's able to support his community.
“Taking away an extra $20-30 could be devastating — you could buy two bags of beans,” Hernandez said about the money the lower fee helps his clients save.
He always follows the same procedure.
“I make sure the information from the checks is correct, like the routing number, account number and the date on the check,” Hernandez said.
But last Saturday, something didn't add up.
"I just got a gut feeling,” Hernandez said.
Surveillance video showed about 40 people cashing what seemed like legitimate checks.
"The checks were very realistic,” Hernandez said.
He followed all the security procedures, including taking pictures of the supposed "new clients."
"Usually, when we've had fake checks, it's pretty obvious because people are nervous,” Hernandez said.
But this time, Hernandez decided to double-check. He called the place where the group said they worked.
"They said, 'No,' those employees didn't work there. So that's when I came back and pressed the emergency button,” he recalled.
The group fled the store before police arrived. El Nopal 2 lost $32,000, but the store could have lost even more if it wasn’t for Hernandez’s feeling.
He hopes to get some money back from the company that runs the check system.
“Bills are not going to pay themselves,” Hernandez said.
With the upcoming arrival of his second daughter, he has had to change his plans.
"I wanted to take some time off, probably about a month, maybe a little longer, but after this happened, I'm probably just going to take a week off,” Hernandez said.
He has added an extra layer of security to the cash-checking process, but his desire to give back to the community remains the same.
"Well, it definitely hurts, but it's not going to stop me from what I want to do,” Hernandez said.
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