yakers
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Alan's post on his debit card fraud made me want to post recent check fraud experience. I wrote a $4K+ check to pay my real estate taxes and mailed it in a US PO. Checking my account, which I do regularly, I see the check has someones name not the county where I live. I immediately contacted the bank. Unlike credit cards check fraud is not automatically covered by a bank. They said they will investigate and let me know. The process took a couple weeks. I contacted USPS online, got a case # but advised in standard text reply that they collect statistics and decide what they will investigate. Contacted the county (who knows where my payment got intercepted, thought they might be interested) they could not care less only advised that if I had a late payment and a police case I would not. be charged late fees. I contacted the county sheriff and they took a formal report. Provided copies of my original check and printouts from the bank online. The sheriff says they will contact the bank , sometimes the bank welcomes them other times not.
At the bank, closed checking account, opened a new one, had to change a lot of standing payments, my retirement 401k deposit change required notarization. PITA. Talking to the bank I mentioned that I grew up in a sh!t neighborhood in Chicago and didn't see this happen. Bank said it's more common now as the technology to wash checks is so easy.
After two weeks and a round of notarized certifications to the bank they absorbed the loss. So PITA for me and , I guess, for the bank. They have insurance for these events. I wanted to know more and have the sheriff pursue the case but once I was made whole by the bank I get no more information from the bank. I would think that the bank has the account the check was deposited into and probably CCTV footage, plenty to pass on to the sheriff.
I now pay the RE taxes electronically. And I thought my friend was paranoid that he never mails checks except directly in the PO building, now I do that. I live in a good neighborhood and he in an even better one. I hate to see such unusual event alter my life practices but it does happen.
At the bank, closed checking account, opened a new one, had to change a lot of standing payments, my retirement 401k deposit change required notarization. PITA. Talking to the bank I mentioned that I grew up in a sh!t neighborhood in Chicago and didn't see this happen. Bank said it's more common now as the technology to wash checks is so easy.
After two weeks and a round of notarized certifications to the bank they absorbed the loss. So PITA for me and , I guess, for the bank. They have insurance for these events. I wanted to know more and have the sheriff pursue the case but once I was made whole by the bank I get no more information from the bank. I would think that the bank has the account the check was deposited into and probably CCTV footage, plenty to pass on to the sheriff.
I now pay the RE taxes electronically. And I thought my friend was paranoid that he never mails checks except directly in the PO building, now I do that. I live in a good neighborhood and he in an even better one. I hate to see such unusual event alter my life practices but it does happen.