There is a new scam called check washing. Apparently, the perp grabs an envelope by breaking into a mailbox. There could also be dishonest postal workers grabbing the clearly marked billing envelopes. Either way the ability to photograph a check and change it is the scam.
The clever dude deletes the payee and the amount on your check and deposits the new check made out to him/her in a temporary account. My $116 check was changed to $9,660. Fortunately, the bank caught it and didn’t pay. (Yay, Chase Bank!) After depositing the check(s), the perp quickly closes the account by cashing out.
My original account was closed for my protection, meaning that several checks en route were returned costing $12 per check for fees. Then the auto credits and auto debits attached to the former account had to be connected to the new account, meaning hours on calls and complex websites. Sooo, painfully inconvenient and aggravating.
The irony is that proving my identity required everything short of my last gynecology exam results! Meanwhile, the slippery crook slid right through the system.
Yes, I am a fossil who still wrote checks and mailed them. Would I be safer with online banking? What about the institutional computers that are being hacked?
And now there are discussions about eliminating cash. And what the heck is “bit coin?” I have been fantasizing life off the grid with the monkeys.
With love, Rosanne
