On May 13, the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office received a report of fraud from a grocery store in Beaufort County. The victim reported someone cashed a fraudulent check at the store earlier in the week.

On June 9, the sheriff’s office received another report of fraud from a convenience store in Beaufort County. The victim reported someone cashed a fraudulent check at the store on May 7. The sheriff’s office began an investigation and collected evidence.

The investigation showed both checks were written out from businesses in Beaufort County as a payroll check. The person presented the counterfeit payroll checks with fraudulent information and cashed them using a false identity.

As a result of the investigation, Investigator Kasey Clayton applied for and obtained warrants charging Anita Chamaine Zachary, age 52, of Stantonsburg, with two counts of obtaining property by false pretense, two counts of identity theft, two counts of uttering forged instrument and two counts of forgery of an instrument.

If one believes he or she has accepted fraudulent checks from Anita Zachary, please contact a local law enforcement agency.

Anyone with information on the location of this suspect is asked to contact Beaufort County Crime Stoppers by phone, text or through their website. Call 252-974-6400; text a tip anonymously by dialing 274637 on a cellphone and in the body of the message, type BCSO131 and the tip; or submit a tip through the Crime Stoppers website, www.beaufortcountycrimestoppers.com, by following the “Tip Line” link and filling out an online form. Calls, texts and emails are anonymous. Crime Stoppers will pay up to $1,000 for information that leads to an arrest or the recovery of property in this case. Tipsters do not have to give their name to receive a reward.