Some person somehow stole my box of checks (which was supposed to come via mail) and used the check's routing numbers to order checks to an address in Illinois-
406 South May Street, Joliet, Illinois.

Anyways, that person just drained my Money Market Account of $42,000. I'd like to find out about that particular address like what kind of house (abandoned, inhabited?). All Google Maps provide is an aerial shot of the place.

I have my suspicions on who's responsible (no one from this forum just to let you know) but it has to do with how corrupt South Brooklyn's Postal Service is (unreceived mail, lost computer chips, etc.). Eventually, I'll get my money back into my account but I hate when people try this garbage.

I hope the authorities will catch this criminal before they get away. You are taking this very well: if someone had stolen 42K of my money, I'd be driving to Joliet, Illinois with a posse.

In whitepages, it says a T Rich resides there. When I open up the more info., the possible first names of T that live in Joliet are everywhere from Tammie to Terry. No phone number available though.

EDIT: Proof I am delaying house cleaning as much as possible, Here's the Joliet city webpage:
http://www.cityofjoliet.info/default.htm

I also went on to some real estate site trulia.com: lots of foreclosures on that street; didn't see a listing for that house, but 4 homes in foreclosure on the same street?

I know what you mean about the mail being corrupt. I never get shit at my address. Anything that's not a bill is liable to never show. My mom just sent me a Passover card and it never arrived. That's just the tip of the ice berg. I'm hoping to buy myself a p.o. box downtown later this week now that I have the money to do so.

As for your account, you should call the bank immediately if you haven't already. Unfortunately, theft of this sort happens all the time, and if your bank's any good, they'll help you out. If they don't, let me know. I might know some legal types who can help you get your money back.

Man, what a shitty thing to happen. Hope you get your money back and that the person responsible for the theft is thrown in prison.

I've alerted almost everyone (the Postmaster General is next on my list but they were closed Friday after 3pm Eastern). The Federal Trade Commission, the 3 known credit bureaus, the fraud prevention center of the bank, filed a police report, and those that were listed on Washington Mutual's fraud prevention listings.

It would be funny if this investigation uncovers the new corruption in our Postal Service! I don't "fly off the handle" unless those agencies decide NOT to do anything and then I do my own justice. To me, my thoughts of mail theft happened when my idiot mailman said he gave my package away to someone who "looked like my father" NOT at my address but around the corner. That package was to contain a $55 computer chip which was sent with "Delivery Confirmation" (which don't mean crap but the mailman's responsible). I received another chip from the computer company so I didn't pursue it any further. I knew I should have but my mother felt sorry for that mailman and I dropped it. This is why I hate visiting New York or having bank accounts in New York! Too many dishonest people and yet my mother feels sorry for everyone but our own family. At least in Las Vegas, I'm allowed my own kind of justice (I once scared away someone who tried to enter my house with my machete...and I didn't have to spend time at the police station for possession of a weapon!). You do that in New York, you spend a day or two in jail until a court date is appointed and then the cops forget all about the criminal but focus on the fact that YOU had a weapon! (Didn't happen to me but an ex co-worker in Brooklyn)

My parents had accounts at that bank (even when it was the Dimes and then changed to Washington Mutual) for many years even before I was born. To lose me as a customer would mean they lose my parents (who have a lot of money on separate accounts). This bank screw up started when some employee pressed my folks to get a high interest Money Market Savings Account. I told them, "No checks!" but apparently, they sent checks anyways (but I never received them).

I would have to say that this ID fraud/theft is much too sloppy that I think bank employees at Carlstadt, New Jersey (where the WAMU branch accepted the check) would probably get fired for their incompetence. I mean, the signature of the check matches with the signature of the person who cashed in the check. The handwriting on the check matches with the handwriting of the person who cashed it (she put her bank account number on it). Way too sloppy and if these agencies don't finish this case soon (to my favor of course), I would have to raise hell.

Holy crap...

Well, again, if you need it, I know some folks who might be able to help you out if you need legal assistance. Just let me know via pm.

Legal assistance is the last resort. I'll keep it in mind as this goes on. Thanks for the offer.

Mark, sorry to hear about your situation. Always sucks to hear about when people, or companies in general that you are supposed to be able to count on do this to people whom are essentially customers.

I hope things turn out for the better and soon.

Thanks, K2 and everyone. Although it's not all my money (my other accounts have a few thousand here and there plus silver in my safe deposit), it's still enough for a down payment on a house. I checked Real Estate properties and that house is merely worth $138,000 at best.

Like I said before, this fraud case is so sloppy that I'm surprised the WAMU branch at Carlstadt, New Jersey didn't catch the handwriting similarities and the fact that if it's $42,000, they should be REALLY careful in case it's fraud. Anyways, that bank is probably in deep crap for employee incompetence.

May I add that I'm not rich. I just save 80-90% of my earnings and only spend 10% on everything else.

That is so horrible! I really hope you at least get your money back. Let the institution spend theirs catching the people resposible.

What is wrong with people now?

I feel bad for the fact that happened to u & would so much like to help catch the creep who did that, because we never know that it could be a migrating criminal.

Let Me Give A Few Tips To Work From;

There are embezzlers who stay in one place to do their schemes, skips that town, & heads off to another place to repeat the same action. I'm from Louisville, KY, which is I don't know how far from Joliet. I'll have to warn people in case the creep could be in the area.

Then there are those who knew that address could've not been inhabited by someone & decided to use that address as a way of not getting caught. There could also be someone else living there & the person doing could've just selected that place from random & made it their fake address. What's bad is that the same person could be robbing that person's mailbox.

The person doing this may stayed with the person whom lived at that address for a short time & left. This happens to my neighbors. They get people whom are possibly fugitives and/or on the run making pit stops only to leave & go to the next place. This one girl whom does dope & is on Probation had stayed with my neighbors downstairs for a short time. She had left after a week & the police eventually stopped there looking for her, because she violated her Probation.

The bad thing is that the person who either lives or owns the property of that address is out to be blamed for the crime, because of the fact they stay at that address.

It would be pretty stupid if the person doing this actually lived there & just had the bank directly deliver the checks to where they were actually staying. They would be looking to get caught really easily. The person doing this is using this address & watching that mailbox for the checks.

This is what I would do?

1. First of all, it's none of my business, but do u live in or around Jolie? If not, what town are u from?

2. Have u reported this to both the bank & police?

3. I'd get a mailbox that somehow locks up if u can get one or put a slot in u'r door for the postal carrier to drop u'r mail. I think the slot will be better. Man, if u anybody thought about robbing a mailbox, they would have to do helluva job to get the mail.

I wish to somehow help u with this, because I know what it's like to have many things u'v worked so hard for to be stolen from u. It happened to me when I stayed at this shelter a long time ago. I had many CD's, clothes, cameras, food, & valuables cameup missing. I knew it was one or more of the other women at the shelter whom did it. Taking all that there was a stupid move on my part.

There were then times, when my debit card was stolen & I went broke & had to take a 2nd job just to replace what was lost.

I could imagine the thought of $42K being stolen from me. That would've sent me to the mental ward really quick. I hate it when thieves want to take things from people whom worked so hard to have what they have. U busted u'r ass at a job to get what u have. It had probably taken a good while to get what u
have. Now some ungrateful, cold idiot whom probably lives off Organized Crime comes along & strips it away. When that happens, u'r back to where u started & u never know how long it will be when u get back on u'r feet.

That pisses me off!! I pray that whomever did this is bought to justice & what is rightfully u'r's is returned to u.

quote:

Originally posted by DMD 2.0:
I've alerted almost everyone (the Postmaster General is next on my list but they were closed Friday after 3pm Eastern). The Federal Trade Commission, the 3 known credit bureaus, the fraud prevention center of the bank, filed a police report, and those that were listed on Washington Mutual's fraud prevention listings.

It would be funny if this investigation uncovers the new corruption in our Postal Service! I don't "fly off the handle" unless those agencies decide NOT to do anything and then I do my own justice. To me, my thoughts of mail theft happened when my idiot mailman said he gave my package away to someone who "looked like my father" NOT at my address but around the corner. That package was to contain a $55 computer chip which was sent with "Delivery Confirmation" (which don't mean crap but the mailman's responsible). I received another chip from the computer company so I didn't pursue it any further. I knew I should have but my mother felt sorry for that mailman and I dropped it. This is why I hate visiting New York or having bank accounts in New York! Too many dishonest people and yet my mother feels sorry for everyone but our own family. At least in Las Vegas, I'm allowed my own kind of justice (I once scared away someone who tried to enter my house with my machete...and I didn't have to spend time at the police station for possession of a weapon!). You do that in New York, you spend a day or two in jail until a court date is appointed and then the cops forget all about the criminal but focus on the fact that YOU had a weapon! (Didn't happen to me but an ex co-worker in Brooklyn)

My parents had accounts at that bank (even when it was the Dimes and then changed to Washington Mutual) for many years even before I was born. To lose me as a customer would mean they lose my parents (who have a lot of money on separate accounts). This bank screw up started when some employee pressed my folks to get a high interest Money Market Savings Account. I told them, "No checks!" but apparently, they sent checks anyways (but I never received them).

I would have to say that this ID fraud/theft is much too sloppy that I think bank employees at Carlstadt, New Jersey (where the WAMU branch accepted the check) would probably get fired for their incompetence. I mean, the signature of the check matches with the signature of the person who cashed in the check. The handwriting on the check matches with the handwriting of the person who cashed it (she put her bank account number on it). Way too sloppy and if these agencies don't finish this case soon (to my favor of course), I would have to raise hell.

Ooops,I read the first post, but missed this post. I can't believe people when they just don't want to operate a business the proper way.

It paranois me to the point where I wonder if bank officers could be helping the person. The culprit who did this most likely made a deal with the bank that if they promise this & that, then they could keep so much of the money.

I have much trouble with trusting people, which is my reason for keeping my banking at local, small businesses. I had an account at National City & $127 was withdrawn from my bank & they refused to tell me what it was debited from. All these overdraft fees began piling up to around $350, which I've refused to pay back. Due to that, I'm unable to get a checking account.

That's okay, because I refuse to fool around with checking accounts anymore, because it's too risky. I just keep it to a simple Savings Account which is a place I can keep my money instead of just having it locked away in my house somewhere where it can get stolen. When I do that, I keep my Savings Account to small neighborhood banks or Credit Unions.

I kind of wonder if it's dishonest postal employees too, because last summer, $100 was mailed to me & I had never gotten it. That was at my old address where it was common for Crackheads or Teens looking for trouble to
gettin in other people's mailboxes. My neighbor lady at that place also had mail which was stolen from her.

All I can say is to get a secure mailbox like the slot-in-the-door, switch u'r account to a smaller bank, have all monies direct deposited, & pay u'r bills at a center rather than mail them.

1. No, never lived or even heard of Joliet, Illinois. I live in Las Vegas but have my account in Brooklyn, New York, where I grew up.

2. Yes and yes. The bank, Washington Mutual suspects an "inside job" because nothing like this happened to my family and me before they had these new bank employees (one who "insisted" on this money market savings account).

3. My mailbox could only open with a letter carrier key. There was trouble with the lock a few months ago when this new mailman broke it with a screwdriver. This new guy is incompetent (or is probably a thief because he "lost" my $55 computer chip last December and that was "registered mail").

The reason why I haven't gone crazy is because I know there are things I could do to solve this case (in my book, it's kind of open and shut case of fraud). I've read the "Anarchist's Cookbook" online and there are some things in it that are similar what this person has done.

The person who cashed in this check is "Linda Cooper" and her handwriting is similar on the back of the check as the front of it. In my book, it's WAY too sloppy and that branch at Carlstadt, New Jersey "dropped the ball" by accepting the check when they should've checked the handwriting and signatures. As for Joliet, Illinois, I believe the idiot who tried this fraud knows about that address well (could be a friend who lives there or those who live there probably aren't home too much to pick up their mail). In any case, that's why I wanted to know what kind of house it was. If it's unkempt then it says a lot to me. If it's clean then it says a few other things to me.

There was a $9 drain on my account for the order of more checks and the check that was cashed in was numbered "1004" which means the person who wrote the check probably took the new box of check from that address (could be stolen from there but it's still on my suspect list). I think people know how easy it is to order new checks without ID by using a check's routing number from an already cashed in check. In my case, I never received the first box of checks and that's why I suspect people in the Post Office (after all, a lot of people are also missing their important mail...except bills as recent as September of last year). Yes, I did also file with the Postmaster General. I covered that base as I did the others because I take theft seriously.

Even if the thief (or thieves) spent all of the money already, they would have to pay the bank/government for a very long time. It's FDIC insured which means I get my money back (as long as it's under $100,000...which I would never put in any one account for that reason). Many thieves think it's a victimless crime because the banks get compensated by the government and such but it really isn't. It's the only way they could sleep at night by giving themselves this false "Robin Hood" fantasy.

I'm sure this case will wrap really soon. It's way too sloppy and it also shows that some bank employees really need better training because they are dealing with people's lives when they deal with money. who knows? Maybe if they throughly investigate this, they might uncover an entire Postal service theft ring! That may be wishful thinking but if the people solving this case have better resources than me then maybe it's possible.

To Princess Iris-
The manager at the WAMU branch "off the record" suspects that it's an "inside job."

I knew it, because of the fact the bank acted like they didn't want to do anything about the situation u had reported to them. I can seem to trust people working in these places now days. We never know whom these banks & post offices are hiring anymore. As far as we know, they could be hiring Convicted Felons with Theft & Robbery Charges a mile long.

When I go to apply for jobs at these places, sure they make us fill out a paper which gives them permission to do Background Checks, but when they get the copy of the record, they're probably like, "Whoopty doo, I'm hiring them anyway. We may need someone working for us who has this kind of expertise.

I've had mail stolen. Stuck a video camera and caught the person red handed.