Senior Jason Garcia caught “Nancy Rowe,” a woman infamously known for nationwide check fraud on April 19, while working his after-school job at Kohl’s department store in Silver Spring.

“I got really nervous when I first realized who she was,” says Garcia of the events. As a sales associate, Garcia had been reminded by his managers in the two weeks prior to watch out for a woman wanted for check fraud. Apparently, Rowe had used fraudulent checks at other Kohl’s stores in the area.

She approached his register with about $140 worth of merchandise, but when it was time to pay for the items, Garcia could already sense something suspicious. “With a check, you always show your driver’s license,” says Garcia. “She just flashed it to me and I could tell she didn’t want me to see it.” Fortunately, the store was giving out coupons that day, and Garcia told the customer-in-question that he didn’t know how to activate them. He quickly paged his manager.

After discreetly revealing the name on the check to his manager, the woman was confronted, yet denied everything. Since there was no security guard on duty that afternoon, management could only question the woman.

Kohl’s is currently filing a police report because they obtained her license plate number from video surveillance cameras.

“My first thought was ‘You’ve got to be kidding me!’ but I tried to keep calm and it paid off…literally,” says Garcia. He will receive a cash reward from Kohl’s, and has received much praise since. Adds Garcia, “My managers were really happy with the way I was paying close attention.”

Garcia admits that he now focuses on each and every customer. “As a cashier, you always hear about shoplifters and other people who try to get over on the store,” says Garcia. “But I never thought I’d catch anyone.”