Posted by Donna LaBelle on 6/19/08 1:29am
Msg #251976

Does anyone know

who to go to when a money order has been stolen, washed, forged, and cashed and the issuing company of the money order is extremely NOT helpful, the sheriffs dept "doesn't have the resources to investigate", the bank that stamped the back of the forged money order when it was cashed is claiming that it couldn't have been cashed in one of their branches, and the people at their main customer service number are of no help?

Reply by LKT/CA on 6/19/08 1:40am
Msg #251977

Sue the offender to small claims court, provided you have documentation to prove your allegations.

Reply by Donna LaBelle on 6/19/08 2:31pm
Msg #252056

what makes you think the offender is identifiable or that anyone could even contact him if we knew who he was? There are several people in this twon with the same name and even one who was released from prison a few weeks after the money order was stolen, forged, and cashed. Local law enforcement doesn't have the resources or time to deal with it either.

Reply by Kevin/Ct on 6/19/08 6:10am
Msg #251979

Generally all that is necessary is to notify the bank that the drafter's signature or the endorser's signature is not genuine. The bank normally requires that the claimant give them a sworn affidavit stating that the signatures were forged. The bank refers the matter to the appropriate law enforcement authorities, but usually refunds the money to the drafter or endorser as the case requires. You will need to retain the receipt if the check in question was a bank check or money order. The bank normally keeps photo copies of all checks it pays.

It is a simple matter for the bank to do a reverse deposit in which each bank in the chain is required to justify its processing of the check. I did this for a client that had deposited a check which the bank claimed was lost or never deposited... yet had cleared the bank upon which it had been drafted.

The forgery may also constitute a federal offense know as bank fraud, and this may bring into play the FBI and the U. S. Justice Dept.

Contact your local State's Attorney/D.A. You can also contact your nearest U.S. Attorney's office.

Reply by Stamper_WI on 6/19/08 8:35am
Msg #251988

What about the FDIC? They are the ones that send out alerts on forgery's on certified checks and money orders (for some reason I don't remeber, I used to get all these alerts

Reply by Donna LaBelle on 6/19/08 2:36pm
Msg #252057

I have a copy of the money order before it was stolen, forged, and cashed, as well as a copy of the money order afterwards. Western Union is well aware of the obvious forgery, and the stamp on the back of it is from Wells Fargo, but they claim that they don't believe that it was cashed at a Wells Fargo. They also are saying that the numbers included in the Wells Fargo stamp don't mean anything. This money order was washed- including the written amount, as well as the lower half of the numerical amount, and written over with a felt pen that has bled through to the backside of it, making it impossible to read the signature, account #, and phone number of the forger

Reply by MikeC/NY on 6/19/08 9:36am
Msg #251993

If none of the other suggestions work, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (which administers all federally chartered banks) may be able to help you. They have a consumer website where you can get info and file a complaint against a bank. From what I understand, they do follow up on complaints (plus, banks don't like to hear from the OCC).

http://www.helpwithmybank.gov/