Four Panama City residents are in the Bay County jail, accused of participating in a complicated check fraud scheme.

Panama City Police say 42 year-old Michael Vickery, 37 year-old Paul Broome, 34 year-old Robin Reed and 34 year-old Angela Halstead are all charged with several counts of principle to uttering a counterfeit check.

Detectives say the suspects convinced local transients to give them their personal identity information. They printed bogus payroll checks in the transients' names, then had them go to local businesses and cash the checks.

The transients then handed-over the money to the suspects in-exchange for a payment of about 10%.

Police believe the operation took-in well over 25-thousand dollars locally. The scammers hit business all over town, so the Lynn Haven police department and Bay County sheriff's investigators are also involved in the case.

They believe a group of people in Orlando are the ring-leaders.