First-Time I've Been a Victim Of Fraud

win231

win231

SF VIP
Location
CA
I mailed in my property tax for last year on time in April. Then I got a "Delinquent Notice" along with a 10% penalty.
I knew something is wrong because the bank said the check was debited 3 weeks ago.
I went to the bank & got a copy of the check. Someone from the post office or someone outside fished the check out of the mailbox & replaced "L.A. Tax Collector" with their name & cashed it, either at a check-cashing place or the bank. The signature doesn't resemble mine one bit.
This morning, I filed a fraud report & I had to open a new account. The bank will replace the money in my account next week.
I don't know if the Tax Office will waive the 10% penalty - $400.00.

I'm going to arrange electronic or credit card or debit payment so I don't have to mail a check again.
The back Mgr. said this is becoming common.
Last year, an attempt to steal my car & 2 accidents - one deliberate- driver rammed my previous car.

I think the world has gone crazy. :oops:
 

Yes, you have to be so careful..about everything.
I don't leave any mail in MY mailbox( on the property) for the postal person to pick up...or anyone else to take..
I walk it down the street to the community mailbox.
If anyone tampers with it..it's a federal offense.

Good luck, @win231 on future dealings!
 

Jace said:
Yes, you have to be so careful..about everything.
I don't leave any mail in MY mailbox( on the property) for the postal person to pick up...or anyone else to take..
I walk it down the street to the community mailbox.
If anyone tampers with it..it's a federal offense.

Good luck, @win231 on future dealings!
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I also never leave mail in my home mailbox. I left it in the public mailbox which is a few inches from the front door of the post office. They already modified the mailbox so mail can't be fished out of the slot. That's why I think a post office employee did it, which means it won't do much good to personally hand it to personnel at the post office.
 
Alligatorob said:
Wow, first I have heard of this scam...

Any chance they'll catch the culprit? If it was stolen from the USPO I think it would be a federal offense.
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Today, it's unlikely they'll even try to catch him/her.
And when they do catch & convict a criminal, for fraud or theft, it's usually probation or home monitoring with that silly ankle bracelet.
 
hollydolly said:
How disgusting...

Have you reported this to the Police?... If you think this was an inside job, you really do owe it to yourself and everyone else to report it
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I'll report it, but I've been that route before. The situation is awful.
After a driver deliberately hit my car & sped off, I went to the police station. There was ONE officer at the front desk taking reports. A sign said "Take a Number." There were 50 people sitting & waiting. After an hour, I left.
 
Auto Pay is very useful in a lot of cases, especially when it comes to home ownership since you will have to keep paying those same bills over and over as long as you live there. It just comes out of the account you designate automatically.
 
FBI on Scams and Safety...

from the webpage:

"Do Yourself a Favor: Be Crime Smart.​

Getting educated and taking a few basic steps may well keep you from becoming a victim of crime and fraud—and save you a great deal of time and trouble. You can also help us protect your families and communities by reporting suspicious activities and helping find wanted fugitives and missing kids."


https://www.fbi.gov/scams-and-safety
 
I was married to a postal carrier. He then became a big part of their Union. They do not accept this kind of behavior and go to great lengths to prevent. There is a lot of investigation if they think this is happening. If someone is caught stealing or destroying mail there are severe penalties.

In additon, I worked in the printing industry. We printed checks among other things. If a case of check fraud was discovered and reported it was investigated by our company. It was not taken lightly. There were many checks and balances in out plant to avoid this problem. I am happy to say this never was found to be at my place of employment. It was part of my job to teach our customers about fraud. Explain all the methods they had at their option to prevent fraudulent practices with their documents. Yes sometimes it happens, but a lot of it is that the banking industry that does not fully review the document at hand for signs of fraud.
 
Sorry that happened Win. It's amazing how people can alter checks like that so they are not even suspicious looking! I hope you don't have to pay that hefty 10% penalty. I'm thinking once you present evidence from the bank with the fraud report you won't have to.
 
win231 said:
I mailed in my property tax for last year on time in April. Then I got a "Delinquent Notice" along with a 10% penalty.
I knew something is wrong because the bank said the check was debited 3 weeks ago.
I went to the bank & got a copy of the check. Someone from the post office or someone outside fished the check out of the mailbox & replaced "L.A. Tax Collector" with their name & cashed it, either at a check-cashing place or the bank. The signature doesn't resemble mine one bit.
This morning, I filed a fraud report & I had to open a new account. The bank will replace the money in my account next week.
I don't know if the Tax Office will waive the 10% penalty - $400.00.

I'm going to arrange electronic or credit card or debit payment so I don't have to mail a check again.
The back Mgr. said this is becoming common.
Last year, an attempt to steal my car & 2 accidents - one deliberate- driver rammed my previous car.

I think the world has gone crazy. :oops:
Click to expand...
I don't know the last time I wrote a check. Credit or debit payment is a great idea.
 
Well, here's an update & it ain't good.
I just received my Chase Credit Card statement & it shows a past due amount of $1,100.00 that I already paid last month.
Same thing with that check - someone opened the envelope & substituted their name & cashed it.
I just got off the phone with Chase, got a new card & started online payment. At least Chase waived the late fee & interest.
No more checks, except maybe utility bills.

Louis Armstrong said, "What a Wonderful World." That was then, this is now. 😂
 
Generally, credit card companies and banks are getting much, much, much better at stopping fraud and scams.

If you have some problems, by all means contact them, the police, etc.

Most often, these things will be resolved without any financial loss. Not always, but most often.
 
ohioboy said:
What was already done to Win is a Federal crime.
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Being a crime means nothing to some anymore.... they know the drill is ..."STOP or i will yell STOP again."

The bank is replacing money because a altered of questionable check should not have passed through ....

if was cashed at check cashing type places i am sure they eat those losses all the time and pass on to their clients .....
 
JonSR77 said:
Generally, credit card companies and banks are getting much, much, much better at stopping fraud and scams.

If you have some problems, by all means contact them, the police, etc.

Most often, these things will be resolved without any financial loss. Not always, but most often.
Click to expand...

The companies have loss.... built in for that and cover it by fees.....
With the wide spread problem I see no improvement in stopping it from happening.

I even sat in on a fraud report to bank and bank said........... "we do not want to hold up our customers purchase or transaction on a maybe" .... so after the fact they sucked up the loss instead of ASKING for info or delaying a purchase. that is not improvement in my thoughts.

This is what happens when people want instant approval of charges or cashed checks ........
sometimes when a person (store clerk/ bank employee etc )might say "this does not seem correct" .......they are told to go ahead anyway ...
it is AFTER the fact and they say "I thought something was fishy "
 


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