A Pennsylvania woman has been charged after allegedly depositing a fraudulent $19,800 business check sent by a man she met through TikTok.
Debra Shearer, 60, told investigators that she considered the man her romantic partner and deposited the check at his request.
He allegedly told her to forward the money after it became available and said she could keep a portion.
Police say Shearer acknowledged that she believed the check was fraudulent before depositing it. The bank detected the transaction, froze her account and prevented the $19,800 from being released.
The Check Used a Pennsylvania Business’s Account Information
TikTok romance scam leads to charges filed against Washington County woman | Click on the image to read the full story https://t.co/UWfdlj6e8r
— WTAE-TV Pittsburgh (@WTAE) July 29, 2026
The investigation began in April after Five Points Fleet Service in Salem Township learned that a suspicious check had been presented using its banking information, according to WTAE. The $19,800 check contained the business’s account and routing numbers but did not match the format of its legitimate checks. It was payable to Shearer, whom the company’s owner said he did not know.
Her TikTok Contact Told Her to Forward the Money
Investigators traced the check to a bank branch in McMurray, where Shearer allegedly deposited it after receiving it through FedEx. Shearer told Pennsylvania State Police that a man she met on TikTok had asked her to make the deposit. She reportedly believed they were in a romantic relationship.
The man allegedly instructed her to send him the money once it became available and told her that she could keep part of the proceeds. Police say Shearer admitted that she suspected the check was fraudulent before placing it into her account.
The bank identified the check as fraudulent, froze Shearer’s account and stopped the funds from being released. Investigators later obtained a warrant for her financial records, which police said confirmed that the check had been deposited into her account.
Shearer Faces a Theft-by-Deception Charge
Shearer has been charged with theft by deception. The charge is an allegation. The available reporting does not identify a plea, preliminary-hearing date or final court disposition.
The man has not been publicly identified or charged.
A Check “Clearing” Does Not Prove It Is Genuine
The Federal Trade Commission warns that money from a deposited check may appear in an account before the bank determines that the item is counterfeit. If the account holder forwards part of the money before that review is complete, the bank can later remove the entire check amount, leaving the customer responsible for money already sent elsewhere.
A request to deposit a check and return some of the funds is a standard fake-check pattern. The recipient should not deposit it, even when the sender is an online romantic interest who says the recipient may keep a portion.
The FBI warns that romance and social-media contacts may recruit people to receive and move illegally obtained money through their own accounts. Participating can lead to frozen accounts, financial liability and criminal charges.