Posted by ToniK on 11/8/12 12:11pm
Msg #442623

Should I continue to persue or just write it off

One of my payments $200 in April was cashed by someone else. I contacted the company that hired me about the missing payment and they sent me a photocopy of the check cashed. As I look I notice that someone forged my signature (well it was printed and misspelled on the endorsement side) and the bank cashed it.

I informed the company that it was not my signature. They sent me paperwork to fill out so that their bank (Chase) could investigate. I sent in the paperwork, had to have it notarized. This was back in July/August. From that point on I have heard nothing. I followed up with the company. Nothing. I even called Chase fraud dept who told me they will not talk to me or reveal to me any information as Im not the account holder.

It is now November. What further steps should I go through or should I just write it off as a lost cause?


Note: The check ended up going to an old address which is less than a mile from where I currently live. I moved but had all my mail forwarded to my new address. The check was written on May 16, cashed may 30. I moved May 12 in a haste, long story short landlord issues, last minute move crunch.

Reply by Pro Mobile Notary on 11/8/12 12:30pm
Msg #442626

You might be better off going directly to the district attorney for your city/county.

Forgery is a serious crime, as is the theft of someone else's money.

After you have contacted the DA's office and get a case number contact the closest regional Federal Reserve Bank. There are 12 of them. The Fed clears all checks written and has oversight over the banks. If you contact the Fed I believe you will see more movement on your issue from the bank. Make sure you give them everything and paper trail everything you can.

If that happened in our store we would immediately write you a new check and then we would deal with our bank and force them to get the misappropriated funds back to us. You should not be forced to jump through these hoops.

Don't walk away from your money without taking the two more steps I suggested & good luck.

Reply by ToniK on 11/8/12 1:06pm
Msg #442628

Thanks for these tips. Ill definitely contact the authorities you mentioned. Hopefully this can be resolved quickly.

Reply by ikando on 11/8/12 2:03pm
Msg #442633

That's good information, Harold. I'll have to add it to my files for reference.

Reply by Pro Mobile Notary on 11/8/12 2:42pm
Msg #442642

You're welcome.

It helps being an economist and a frequent lecturer at colleges, universities and business groups on the interrelationship between the Federal Reserve and our banking system.

BTW- my name is Howard.

Reply by ikando on 11/8/12 4:36pm
Msg #442665

Sorry about miscalling your name. I'll do better next time.

Reply by 101livescan on 11/8/12 2:27pm
Msg #442638

Go directly to the police department, and you'll probable end up in DA's office. There is so much of this going on. My car was broken into in Desert Hot Springs. I had a blank temporary "counter check" in my day planner. It was written out for just under $300 for gardening services. Well, I do my own gardening, so it was a surprise to me! Turned out the perpetrator was sitting in jail for another cash checking offense. As soon as he got out, he would be doing six months again for my forged check, and he would have to pay restitution yada yada....well, what are the chances he could ever pay that when he is in and out of jail.

But I pursued it any way.

Reply by Pro Mobile Notary on 11/8/12 2:45pm
Msg #442644

Most police departments in the USA are short staffed due to budget constraints and would likely put this down on their list of things that need addressing like violent crimes.

Many district attorneys offices have special Consumer Affairs or Consumer Protection units that would place a much higher priority on this crime than most police agencies might.

Reply by JanetK_CA on 11/8/12 2:45pm
Msg #442646

And you may have prevented someone else from falling victim to his crimes!

Reply by sueharke on 11/8/12 3:04pm
Msg #442653

Do you belong to a prepaid legal group? If yes, call them for advise. If no, I suggest taking the ss to small claims court and make them prove the check was sent to the correct address. Also, take the bank that cashed the check to Small claims court and see who is responsible. The check may have been stolen by USPS employees or private citizens who steal from mail boxes when you are not home.

Do not threaten action, do whatever you say you will do. I think you may find a check in your mail box if you file the papers. Also, ask for filing fees from the other party.

Also, call you local TV station and see if they have consumer advocates that may make this problem resolve faster. One that comes to mind on TV and Radio is "clarkhoward.com" as he has consumer volunteers to help - phone number is on the website.

Reply by NVLSlady/VA on 11/8/12 3:17pm
Msg #442657

Stolen by USPS employees

I hope not, but it's a real possibility. What I had been thinking prior to Sue's post was I'd send a letter, along with the copy of cashed ck to the Postmaster at your P.O. I'm sure he or she will be very interested in this - especially if your mail was to be forwarded. Stolen mail is how stolen identity happens, so I'd monitor my cbr and make sure the addresses they have for you are correct.

And I also agree with Pro Mobile, that you shouldn't have to "jump through these hoops!" The bank's Fraud dept should have resolved directly with the SS /F.I. check was drawn on. That would mean a reimbursement to that F.I. Then, SS should pay you.

Could Chase at least say whether the perpetrator was one of their own acct holders? Instead of just focusing on fingerprinting the non-acct holders, bank should look from within! And if Chase has her fingerprints on file, not sure why they can't prosecute.

Reply by ToniK on 11/8/12 6:40pm
Msg #442687

Re: Stolen by USPS employees

The check was cashed at an HSBC bank in my area. Not a chase bank. The account number is on the back where it was endorsed. I called HSBC and they said that Chase would have to file against them. So basically I have been helpless in this situation for months. I kept reaching out to the SS but all I got was "I'll check on it" and at one time they got pretty angry about the request I was making. Last email I sent was on Nov 1 and I havent gotten any response to it. But they have called me to do a signing since then. I havent had any problems with them until now and our relationship was good but this incident is making me rethink working for them since they seem to not want to remedy this situation. I dont even know if Chase has even returned the funds and if they did months ago I havent heard word nor even a check in the mail.

Reply by MW/VA on 11/8/12 8:46pm
Msg #442703

There's so much fraud going on at the banks these days, I'm

sure they're not going to step up to help you, unfortunately.
I think I'd follow Howard's advice & contact the DA. It's worth a shot.

Reply by NVLSlady/VA on 11/8/12 11:41pm
Msg #442719

"Chase would have to file against them"

Exactly. If the check was drawn off Chase Bk, they are owed $$ by HSBC - who cashed a check fraudulently. So technically, Chase has to pursue. Now, since that is probably a "drop in the bucket for them" perhaps THEY'RE not so eager to go after a fellow F.I. But if I was a Chase customer . . . (well, hopefully you're not - or soon won't be unless a defrauding to one of their customers is corrected) I'd want to speak directly with the supervisor of the Fraud Claims dept.

Sounds like if you're not a Chase customer, you're at the mercy of the SS; and this is all "back-end" ops for them. Too much time. So, write it off or up your fee the next time SS calls - and pay yourself back

Reply by MistarellaFL on 11/9/12 6:13am
Msg #442726

Hmmm...landlord issues?

You might want to look at past checks cashed by your landlord, and see if the deposit account numbers match. Just a thought, Toni.
If you've had a bad experience with your landlord, landlord might have considered it funds due
(illegally, of course).

Reply by ToniK on 11/9/12 7:08am
Msg #442727

Re: Hmmm...landlord issues?

You know I have actually considered that. Well I should say Property Manager. I didnt have any issues with Landlord. Money was deposited into landlords account which was a BB&T account. Now I spoke to the Property manager who claim to have received some of my mail and claimed to have given it to a neighbor to hold in case they see me again. Uh yea ok. It all sounded fishy.

Reply by sueharke on 11/9/12 10:45am
Msg #442758

Re: Hmmm...landlord issues?

Sound like getting a PO Box at the Post Office or the UPS store (one thing they are good for) and have all checks sent to that address, not your physical addresses (unless required by the shipper) may be the right move for you. Also, the UPS will accept packages on your behalf, so any packages will not be given to anyone else to be held "until he or she see you." This is a tax deduction business expense for the business percentage it is used.

PO Boxes and UPS store are also a great way to handle mail during a bad divorce, a person who travels a lot on their job, or a move to another location. We did this at least twice when moving from state A to state B and we didn't lose any mail during the move. For someone going through a bad divorce or has someone making this live difficult by stealing their mail for other reason, it makes it tough for the thief to stand at a mailbox where the mail is not being delivered.