Caught In The Act: Counterfeit Check Drama Unfolds in Missoula

Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - On April 13, 2025, at 4:51 p.m., officers with the Missoula Police Department responded to Walmart after an employee reported that 32-year-old Montana Hansen was inside the store attempting to cash fake checks. An officer determined that Hansen has recently been the subject of several fraud investigations at Walmart. Hansen is also permanently trespassed from Walmart. 

Officers arrived and located Hansen inside Walmart. An employee handed Hansen her ID and two checks as the officers escorted her outside. Hansen refused to let the officer see the two checks and the officers soon learned that the checks belonged to a Montana resort.  

Hansen said she received the checks after selling jewelry to the resort. She explained that she brokered the transactions through a Craigslist ad. Hansen said she did not know the name of the contact she had been working with, but had the messages on her phone. The officer asked to see the ads, and Hansen began scrolling through her phone.  

Hansen then said her phone died. When offered a charger, Hansen declined. Hansen told the officer that the person from Craigslist may have been sending her fraudulent checks without her knowledge. Hansen also denied knowing that she had been trespassed from Walmart.  

Meanwhile, another officer located Hansen’s vehicle in the Walmart parking lot. Hansen’s boyfriend was inside. The officer spoke with him and learned that although he used to make jewelry, he has not done so in a long time. He also said that Hansen does not make jewelry. He also mentioned that neither he nor Hasen has ties to the resort.  

The officer confronted Hansen with the information he learned from her boyfriend. Hansen said that making jewelry is “kind of a new hobby or it's an old hobby that I picked back up on.” She also admitted that “the checks were weird” but said she expected that Walmart would have told her if something was wrong with them. Then Hansen was arrested for burglary. 

READ MORE: Missoula News – Crime Reports  

At that point, she admitted she obtained the checks from a female who has lots of stolen checks. Hansen explained that the female is living at the Johnson Street Warming Shelter. Law enforcement knows from previous contacts that the female is involved in suspected criminal activity.  

According to court documents, Hansen acknowledged that she lied about Craigslist. She then said she sold jewelry to the female, and the female gave her the checks in return. Hansen said she did not believe the checks were washed, but rather, that the female has blank checks from the resort that she is filling out.  

Once at the jail, Hasen admitted she knows she is trespassed from Walmart. She also said, “I know that they weren’t good. I mean, it makes sense. I wasn't thinking.” Hansen is currently being charged with felony burglary, and her bond was set at $10,000. 

The information in this article was obtained from sources that are publicly viewable.