Check stolen, washed for thousands of dollars from West Nashville

[SheltieLover]

https://wreg.com/news/mid-south/check-stolen-washed-for-thousands-of-dollars-from-west-nashville/

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A West Nashville man is warning the public after he fell victim to a check-washing scheme.

Mark McPherson says in only a matter of hours his check was stolen from his mailbox and altered for thousands of dollars.

“Don’t put a check in your mailbox,” McPherson stated as a lesson he has since learned.

Snip

“They said use a Uniball 207, it’s a gel pen and they said that ink can’t be washed out of a check,” said McPherson. ["They" refers to bank personnel.]

More at link.

[multigraincracker]

1. I have a P.O. Box and

a regular one on the street.
All important mail goes to the P.O. Box, along with bills I have paid. Been doing that for about 20 years now.
Now I’ll get some Uniball 207 pens too.
Thanks.

[usonian]

5. SAME HERE!

Except that I discovered those Uniball 207's long ago and buy them by the box.

[SheltieLover]

16. I'm getting some today.

[Grins]

6. Forget Uniball pens!! Use your bank's Zelle service.

Uniball pens are a temporary fix.

Zelle is an app developed by the major banks. And it’s free, easy, and damned fast. And secure.

All money coming to me - direct deposit.
All the money out is automatic payments or Zelle.
In between is a protected credit card.

[SheltieLover]

17. I pay online or over phone.

[usonian]

18. It's software. Nothing can possibly go wrong. NOT

The ‘Zelle Fraud’ Scam: How it Works, How to Fight Back
https://krebsonsecurity.com/2021/11/the-zelle-fraud-scam-how-it-works-how-to-fight-back/

9 Common Zelle Scams to Watch Out For
https://www.rd.com/article/zelle-scams/

Just search Zelle fraud.

I keep two credit cards in case one is hacked.

[SheltieLover]

15. Good for you!

I pay over phone or on internet.

[BWdem4life]

2. Wouldn't be able to find a check to use if I tried.

Those thieves were lucky to even find an actual check in an unlocked mailbox in the first place.

[No Vested Interest]

12. I'm sure these "professionals" know what to look for - a long business-style envelope,

often with a pre-printed address on it.
Every day I get charity requests in the mail, with self-addressed and often pre-stamped envelopes.

Seniors - like me- often don't have the apps like Venmo, etc. so broadly used now. If fact, I'm still using - because I prefer it- a flip phone, so I likely am not even able to get these apps.

Many seniors - like me- don't leave their homes very often, so I leave out-going mail in my box, which my postmen pick up. Luckily I know the regular one, so trust the mail will be taken to post office, which it always has been.

[No Vested Interest]

3. This happened to me and to a local friend as well, each of us for 5-figure losses from our accounts.

It's happening all of the country; the Postal Service is well aware of this problem.

Mailmen are being robbed of their keys to outside mail drop boxes; thieves then use these at night to get inside the boxes and steal the mail within.

Because I check my balances most days, I discovered the loss and reported it to my local bank the next day. Apparently this is a large-scale operation; my altered check was cashed at a third party bank, which made that bank liable. The theft was in May and the full amount was covered by the third party insurance and returned to me by late August.

Outgoing mail should be taken inside a post office or given directly to the delivery postman.

[LeftInTX]

11. We're gonna need to go inside to send our mail. Hubby has been taking it to the drop box.

We only live a few miles from the PO and the lobby is open 24/7.

We have a drop box near our house, but I guess for important stuff, we'll got to the PO.

The drop box outside our PO has no lighting or security. It's black as heck out there.

[Grins]

4. Was on NBC weeks ago

Interviewed elderly woman robbed of $3K+.
Her bank called her to ask if she actually wrote one of her checks.
She hadn’t. Robbed.
Had video of thieves scooping mail out of an USPS outdoor drop box at post office building.

Conclusion:
No checks in the mail unless:

a) You bring check into the Post Office building,
b) Never drop mail into drive-up box after the last collection of the day.

Asked the woman if she would consider sending money via bank-to-bank apps (Zelle is the major bank’s vehicle. It’s free and not Peter Thiel’s PayPal or Venmo), and she said she avoided things like that but is now considering it. Going to “look into it.”

Considering? Love! You just got robbed!!

This is a problem I had with my mother years ago and my elderly sisters today - they know two ways to pay for things, a check, or cash. And they hate change.

[Duppers]

7. My hubby's decades-long rule: if a ck must be mailed,

It goes inside P.O. Always.

Otherwise, thank goodness for good ole online DiscoverCard.

[NJCher]

13. Tried to use Zelle

Lost patience with it and never went back.

[48656c6c6f20]

8. What's a check?

[LeftInTX]

10. LOL...I tried paying with a check at Party City. Manager said, "We don't accept checks"

A very young cashier looked at me and whispered in my ear, "What's a check?"
Fortunately, I had checks in my purse, so that I could show him!

[Grokenstein]

9. My rent is check-only payments, and I've had a couple "disappear" over the past couple of decades

Thankfully, nothing has come of it, but frankly that's probably because my checking account is usually scraping bottom. I've already learned to avoid outdoor drop boxes and stick to the Post Office indoor drop slot, but I'll be checking out the Uniball 207. Thanks for the tip!

(The renter did begin accepting electronic payments during the pandemic--for a fat fee. No thanks!)

[NJCher]

14. There's a way he could have done that

For $1 per transaction. I researched it when I took over my brothers real estate business for a short time.

[Johnny2X2X]

19. Can't remember the last check I wrote

Probably been over a year.