Re: Be Careful Mailing Checks

Isobel Archer · ‎04-04-2015

@Linda0215 wrote:
@Isobel Archer wrote:
@Linda0215 wrote:
This is nothing new. It's been going on for years. When thieves see an envelope that looks like it might be a birthday card, they assume there is cash in it and it is stolen. It's even been an ongoing problem within the Postal Service itself. What I don't understand is the brazen altering of the check. Shame on the bank that cashed it. I work for a bank and the tellers are thoroughly trained to look out for anything that looks slightly suspicious. Protocol is the teller should bring it to the attention of the branch manager for investigation. That teller would have been fired if this happened at my bank. No questions asked. I'm sorry you had to go through that. Crooks work overtime trying to cheat the public. They should just get a job.
The deposit was done online. Not sure what kind of security they have for that. Our bank is BOA. It was deposited into a TD bank account. BOA is investigating and expects to retrieve their (our) money.

The article I read said there are ways to remove the ink from the check and rewrite it. The online check in our bank statement shows the original signature - but the date, payee and amount are all printed in a clearly different hand - but there is no other evidence that anything was altered. You can't see any erasure or other indication of change.
Ohh ok, use have missed that. I wonder if their bank has questions for the owner of the account it was deposited into. I wouldn't let this one go.

Oh we are not letting anything go. BOA is in the process of retrieving the money from TD bank - what TD bank does is up to them. Since it is a significant amount of money the local police are involved. And the Postal Investigative service is on the mail theft aspect of it.

Having said all that - even if they identify the person, I have no idea if the person will actually be prosecuted. We seem to be more concerned about criminals than victims these days. And since we will be getting our money back, they may decide no harm no foul and the person will be free to do it all again. I hope that is not the case, but in this climate, I wouldn't be surprised.

Jk9 · ‎07-18-2013

It's been several years since I went to my physical office daily and I didn't want my mail staying in the mailbox at the front of my office so I started renting a PO Box at a small town on my way home. I thought that would be a way to help support keeping the small post office in business and give them some additional mail. Well last December the PO was vandalized and ALL the mail stolen out of the inside PO Boxes. Fortunately, I didn't have any checks in my PO Box, but they did get some of my professional mail and none of my outgoing correspondence. So much for supporting the small town POffice. I closed that box and now rent one in the bigger town near my home.

If my dog doesn't like you, neither do I.

CelticCrafter · ‎03-09-2010

I refuse to mail birthday cards with gift cards anymore.

If I have no choice and absolutely have to mail it, I will put it in one of those padded envelopes with extra cardboard on either side so that nothing can be felt through it. It may cost an extra stamp or two but it is what it is for peace of mind.

On the rare occasion that a check needs to be mailed, it goes in the inside slot inside the post office.

Porcelain · ‎02-19-2014

I think the hysterical original post is an exaggeration. If it were valid that mailbox theft were actually rampant, there would be no post boxes anywhere. They would all be stolen. Or at least half of them would be missing, right? I've never seen such a thing and I use postal drop boxes without any problems.

One crime somewhere does not mean mass crime everywhere. We do not all need to protect ourselves from an unlikely possibility. Just like we don't have to all protect ourselves from a tree falling on us. I mean, it could happen. There are people who unfortunately have trees fall on them unexpectedly. And there are people who die from having a tree fall on them unexpectedly. Doesn't mean we all need to wear pith helmets whenever we walk outside.

Where are all the people who spent the last few years telling everyone they refuse to live in fear? Where'd all that bravery go?

When you’re accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression.
"Power without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental and anemic." - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr

Spurt · ‎03-20-2010

@icezeus wrote:
I pay the majority of my bills online, but there is always that one off where I need to mail a check. Today for instance I needed to mail my payment to the IRS, since the deadline is Monday. I went inside the post office because I wanted it to be date stamped with today's date.

I have occasionally used the boxes outside of the post office thinking that they were safe. I guess I have to rethink that. They would be disappointed if they grabbed brightly colored cards that I mail to my Niece and Nephew for their birthday. I use the Cash App to send their birthday money.

@Spurt

I also have the community mailbox in my subdivision. Surprisingly it has not happened to mine yet, being broken into that is, but I have the Ring APP and it was happening to boxes all around me starting in 2020. I was making myself check my mailbox every day which I hate. They finally caught them last year, it was some sort of organized theft ring. Ughhh

@icezeus

I can believe that well organized gangs are behind the thefts

Animals are reliable, full of love, true in their affections, grateful. Difficult standards for people to live up to.”

Sage04 · ‎07-10-2011

@SilleeMee wrote:
I never use my home mailbox to mail anything important including mail containing checks. One time I sent a check to the DMV to renew my car plates and they never got it. So now I pay the extra online fee to process my credit card payment to them instead. Sending them a paper check is free but for credit card payments they charge a fee.

I use PayPal to send funds to friends who live far away.

@SilleeMee I only pay one $1.00 extra when using my Card for them to mail it back to me. i call that shipping and handling. I like doing that even though DMV is only 10 minutes from where I live.

Sage04 · ‎07-10-2011

@Spurt wrote:
@icezeus wrote:
I pay the majority of my bills online, but there is always that one off where I need to mail a check. Today for instance I needed to mail my payment to the IRS, since the deadline is Monday. I went inside the post office because I wanted it to be date stamped with today's date.

I have occasionally used the boxes outside of the post office thinking that they were safe. I guess I have to rethink that. They would be disappointed if they grabbed brightly colored cards that I mail to my Niece and Nephew for their birthday. I use the Cash App to send their birthday money.

@Spurt

I also have the community mailbox in my subdivision. Surprisingly it has not happened to mine yet, being broken into that is, but I have the Ring APP and it was happening to boxes all around me starting in 2020. I was making myself check my mailbox every day which I hate. They finally caught them last year, it was some sort of organized theft ring. Ughhh
@icezeus

I can believe that well organized gangs are behind the thefts

@icezeus you can also sign up for Delivery Confirmation through the Post Office and they will send you an email everyday to let you know what's coming.

We also have the Community Boxes so once I see what's coming I leave it for another day. Especially if it's junk.

CatBagLover · ‎06-22-2010

Some thief intercepted company checks my husband was mailing to pay vendors. The thieves made brand new checks using the same account and check numbers - they just addressed them to others & they were cashed. Weeks later his vendors complained about non-payment. Due to the weeks that had passed,my husband ended up having to cover the fraudsters checks, totally $8000.

qvcaddition · ‎03-10-2010

My online paid by Cashier's check to my auto ins. Two weeks later, I get a notice my auto ins. is being cancelled for lack of payment. Shocked.

I was lucky to get a bank Asst mgr who put the money back in my acct. that Sat morning, walked me through paying the ins. co. direct in Texas and said at least your ins. is paid, while we try to see what happen to the check bill pay sent. It was Cashiers check, not my personal check.

They traced the check #, found it was not cashed, put a stop payment on it, rediposited the amount in my acct from bill pay and took their emergency money out of my acct.

This happen, two months ago on my water bill through bill pay the bank and the garbage. Apparently the utilities they send a cashiers check. All are in town, so now, I will drive to each place when the bill is due and pay on site and get a receipt on the spot.

I couldn't believe even the bank check was not safe.

I always go to the county court house to pay my property tax every year. Ten miles away. Not the water dept. one mile away and the Ins. comp for my car and house ins. 3 miles away.

Today nothing is safe. it's a ****** shoot. No one does their job right. Except that asst. mgr at the bank, went above and beyond the call of duty. I gave him an excellent review to his boss.

Sage04 · ‎07-10-2011

Didn't believe that people still paid by check. I once had a storage unit that charged $4.50 to pay by Card. I went to my Bank and bought 6 checks and used them for the Storage. I dropped a check each month through the slot in their office. Left them after that.

All my bills are deducted automatically every month. Couldn't be easier.

Some people don't trust Zelle but I do. Never had a problem. My entire family is happy with Zelle and that's the way we transfer money to each other.

Yes we have Paypal, Cashapp and everything else but our go to is Zelle.