Someone cashed a check I did not write from my bank account

[ada903]

I logged into my online checking account today and I saw a pending transaction for $100 titled "teller cashed check"'but no other detail or check image is available since the transaction just happened yesterday.

I went to my local branch as soon as they opened and the banker said that person must have had an ID in my name in order to cash a check! How scary is that? I closed my old account and opened a new one, and they are currently investigating.

Has this happened to someone else, or has anyone else heard of similar fraud? How can someone have a fake ID with my name on it?

 

[Liz Wolf-Spada]

I have had local people who I had written a check to, example our church, show as "teller cashed check", if someone, such as the secretary brought it into the bank and gave it to a teller. Can you identify the check number? The amount? as anything you recently wrote, probably locally.
Liz

 

[ada903]

I did not write a check for $100 to anyone, that's the problem. All my transactions are up to date, and there is a zero chance that I wrote a check to someone and forgot about it. Also, the transaction shows a check number of 5416, and all my personal checks are in the one thousand range, and have been for years. It's definitely some form of fraud.

 

[rickandcindy23]

Why would your bank accept such a check? I think banks need to be more responsible with our money. They don't have your signature on that check! Sorry this happened to you. These criminals are getting more brazen.

 

[ada903]

I can think of two scenarios. Someone faked a check from me to them and went to the teller and cashed it (they sure had a lot of guts to cash this at the teller!).

Or worse, someone has a fake I'D with my name, wrote a bad check and cashed it against my account, pretending they are me. In this case, if they have a fake ID, what stops them from doing it again??

 

[KauaiMark]

Inside job?

I did not write a check for $100 to anyone, .. transaction shows a check number of 5416, and all my personal checks are in the one thousand range, .

Is check #5416 missing from the blank checks you haven't got to yet?
If so, sounds like it might be someone that had access to your house recently.

Relative, contractor, etc

 

[Kay H]

Smart move closing the account and opening a new one. Hope they find the guilty person. Sometimes the thief writes a check for a small amount and if it goes through, writes one for a larger amount.

 

[dougp26364]

With check ordering services from outside the traditional banks, this has been something that has always concerned me. I've always fealt that someone has to be somewhat desperate to go through the trouble of stealing a bank routing number, name and forge a false ID to get away with this sort of theft.

Fortunately, you caught it quickly. That could in turn catch this person as I'm sure they'll attempt to either cash another check or go shopping with that closed account.

I find banks are awfully lax when it comes to security. You don't have to go into a bank with guns demanding money in order to rob a bank these days. People do it all the time with ID and credit cards theft. They may not be as flashy as the Dalton Gang, James Gang, or Bonnie and Clyde but the results are the same. They're just stealing a few hundred or a few thousand at a time. Sometimes when they bleed the banks accounts slowly the bank doesn't notice it or take action against it as they would someone walking into the bank with a gun. It's obvious they didn't notice that $100 walking out their door yet they were robbed just the same.

And to think, I've seen people get upset about thumb print technology when they want to cash a check. An ID can be easy to fake. A thumb print isn't quite as easy.

 

[JanT]

Adriana,

I'm so sorry to hear this has happened to you! It's a scary situation when you find out someone has your information and has used it to access your bank accounts, etc. I hope your bank manages to catch the culprit. You were smart to close your account and open a new one. There is something else you need to do as well, I think. Contact all the credit bureaus and place (at a minimum) a "Fraud Alert" on your credit.

I just did that AND placed a credit "freeze" on my credit as well. Anyone running a credit application on me knows they must contact me first to find out if I am actually the one requesting credit.

There is so much identify theft out there anymore it's frightening. Someone stole my credit card information on one of my accounts from somewhere and on black Friday (day after Thanksgiving) went on a spending spree to the tune of more than $1100 at Walmart in Dearborn, MI. Luckily, my credit card company is absolutely diligent because they called me and asked if it were me. It wasn't, so had to close the card and sign an affidavit that I was not the one who made the charges. Now, I have someone who used my name, address, and phone number to try to open up an "E-store" AND has been getting automobile insurance quotes in my name. The different people I have spoken to say they don't think it's "identity theft" but just a friend playing a joke on me. Seriously???? What kind of friend does that? Now I'm trying to decide whether to go to the police with the info.

Sorry to get off on my own rant there. Be hyper-vigilant with your credit, etc. because obviously someone has gotten info from somewhere on you.

Jan

 

[lll1929]

I work at a credit union and we see alot of attempts to cash fake checks or checks written off a closed account.

Sounds like someone created a check with your checking account information. Fake checks are really easy to make since the paper is sold at many office supply stores. They can get your checking account information (routing #, acct#) in many ways. The idea that they have a fake ID with your name is very scary....

Glad you caught it immediately and closed your account. Hopefully this person will get caught the next time they attempt to cash a check on your account.... Many folks try again after having success the first time...

 

[ada903]

Thanks all for the feedback! No, check 5416 could not have come from my checkbook since all my checks for at least two years have been numbered in the one-thousand range.

We are pretty savy about credit - our files are frozen with a security freeze with all three bureaus, and we subscribe to Identity Guard - as Costco executive members it only costs $7.49 a month to monitor our credit and get our credit reports with scores once a month with all three Bureaus.

By tomorrow a copy of the cashed check should be available to view, as it takes 24 hours, so I am curious to see what happened! The banker said that it is also possible that a teller punched in the wrong account number and someone else's check came out of my account. That would be a better scenario than identity theft, although I wasted half a day closing my account, ordering new checkcard and checkbooks, changing my direct deposit at work, etc! Nuts!

 

[ada903]

Jan, given what happened to you with I'D theft, you should place a permanent security freeze with all three Bureaus - we both did so and although it is a bit of a hassle to call in and pay the fee when we need to have our credit checked (e.g. I need a new car soon!), it is worth the few extra bucks and time to temporarily lift the freeze!

Adriana,

I'm so sorry to hear this has happened to you! It's a scary situation when you find out someone has your information and has used it to access your bank accounts, etc. I hope your bank manages to catch the culprit. You were smart to close your account and open a new one. There is something else you need to do as well, I think. Contact all the credit bureaus and place (at a minimum) a "Fraud Alert" on your credit.

I just did that AND placed a credit "freeze" on my credit as well. Anyone running a credit application on me knows they must contact me first to find out if I am actually the one requesting credit.

There is so much identify theft out there anymore it's frightening. Someone stole my credit card information on one of my accounts from somewhere and on black Friday (day after Thanksgiving) went on a spending spree to the tune of more than $1100 at Walmart in Dearborn, MI. Luckily, my credit card company is absolutely diligent because they called me and asked if it were me. It wasn't, so had to close the card and sign an affidavit that I was not the one who made the charges. Now, I have someone who used my name, address, and phone number to try to open up an "E-store" AND has been getting automobile insurance quotes in my name. The different people I have spoken to say they don't think it's "identity theft" but just a friend playing a joke on me. Seriously???? What kind of friend does that? Now I'm trying to decide whether to go to the police with the info.

Sorry to get off on my own rant there. Be hyper-vigilant with your credit, etc. because obviously someone has gotten info from somewhere on you.

Jan

 

[JanT]

Adriana,

Yes, we have a permanent credit freeze with all 3 bureaus. It is a bit of a pain but we're not in the market for any credit really so it isn't really a problem. It just makes me uneasy to know that someone is trying to use my identity in some fashion - whether as a prank, to irritate me, or truly to steal my identity.

Jan, given what happened to you with I'D theft, you should place a permanent security freeze with all three Bureaus - we both did so and although it is a bit of a hassle to call in and pay the fee when we need to have our credit checked (e.g. I need a new car soon!), it is worth the few extra bucks and time to temporarily lift the freeze!

 

[SueDonJ]

Adriana,

I'm so sorry to hear this has happened to you! It's a scary situation when you find out someone has your information and has used it to access your bank accounts, etc. I hope your bank manages to catch the culprit. You were smart to close your account and open a new one. There is something else you need to do as well, I think. Contact all the credit bureaus and place (at a minimum) a "Fraud Alert" on your credit.

I just did that AND placed a credit "freeze" on my credit as well. Anyone running a credit application on me knows they must contact me first to find out if I am actually the one requesting credit.

There is so much identify theft out there anymore it's frightening. Someone stole my credit card information on one of my accounts from somewhere and on black Friday (day after Thanksgiving) went on a spending spree to the tune of more than $1100 at Walmart in Dearborn, MI. Luckily, my credit card company is absolutely diligent because they called me and asked if it were me. It wasn't, so had to close the card and sign an affidavit that I was not the one who made the charges. Now, I have someone who used my name, address, and phone number to try to open up an "E-store" AND has been getting automobile insurance quotes in my name. The different people I have spoken to say they don't think it's "identity theft" but just a friend playing a joke on me. Seriously???? What kind of friend does that? Now I'm trying to decide whether to go to the police with the info.

Sorry to get off on my own rant there. Be hyper-vigilant with your credit, etc. because obviously someone has gotten info from somewhere on you.

Jan

Jan, you should file a police report. Years ago we were victims of theft when a BJ's employee hacked into the system and stole debit card numbers. We found out about the theft when the bank called us to ask if recent charges in IL were legitimate. They weren't, of course, and the bank did everything to put things back in order but asked us specifically to contact our local police and file a report. It wasn't until months later that we learned who had actually committed the theft, when police made the connection between our report and the BJ's employee who had recently been arrested. Ultimately our report and several others were added to all the other evidence in the court action.

You don't have to call 911 and have squad cars come screaming to your house immediately. You can stop by the nearest police station or call its non-emergency line and ask to speak to someone about filing a report. That's what we did, and an officer came by to take the statement when it was convenient. Fifteen minutes, answer some simple questions, and you might end up strengthening a case against a bad guy. Win-win.

 

[pedro47]

I would request a photo copy or a microfilm copy of the check from the bank and start from that point.

 

[ada903]

Yes, a copy of the check should be available within 24 hours when the transaction completes, I am very anxious now to see if this was a terrible mistake done by a teller who posted a transaction to the wrong account, a counterfeit check that used my account information, or what!

 

[rickandcindy23]

Our credit union has made mistakes over the years, so I would not be surprised to hear that it was just an error.

Please let us know.

 

[pgnewarkboy]

Why would your bank accept such a check? I think banks need to be more responsible with our money. They don't have your signature on that check! Sorry this happened to you. These criminals are getting more brazen.

A signature on a check is meaningless. Banks cash checks no matter how they are signed and who signs them. I am surprised they even asked for an ID - let me rephrase it - I sincerely doubt they asked for ID. In all likelihood they just cashed the check.

 

[Kagehitokiri2]

even if its some minor mistake, if you have funds in that account, always better to be safe than sorry!

 

[ada903]

I agree! That's why I rushed in this morning and closed my account - better safe than sorry! I was also able to place a password on my new account, they are supposed to require the password for every transaction, deposit or withdrawal, so hopefully that helps in the future (although I don't think it would prevent someone from cashing a fake check unless they pretend they are me, in which case they need to provide the password).

even if its some minor mistake, if you have funds in that account, always better to be safe than sorry!

 

[AnnaS]

Keep us posted.

I have had my cc compromised twice and last year when my son was sent for either random drug testing or physical at work, the hospital he went to said his social showed someone else's name. We were also advised to contact the three credit companies and also filed a police report.

 

[bobcat]

I logged into my online checking account today and I saw a pending transaction for $100 titled "teller cashed check"'but no other detail or check image is available since the transaction just happened yesterday.

I went to my local branch as soon as they opened and the banker said that person must have had an ID in my name in order to cash a check! How scary is that? I closed my old account and opened a new one, and they are currently investigating.

Has this happened to someone else, or has anyone else heard of similar fraud? How can someone have a fake ID with my name on it?

We live semi rural. we have the mailbox outside our house buy the street. Two weeks ago, one of the houses did not receive mail for two days. Owner went to the post Office and aked them to look into it. They researched his proble. It seems someone went to the P O and put in a change od address for him to Florida. P O took care of this problem fast. We have alot of in these boxes all over the towns where we live. Stealing mail is has become an issue more and more.

 

[ada903]

Thanks again for all the comments. Yes, mail is a great gateway for identity theft, so easy to break into and get account numbers and personal info. Even social security numbers travel by mail at times, like tax returns for example.

I hope to know by tomorrow from the bank what really happened! I will post an update!

 

[Pat H]

In my case, checks in the 5000 range are all from my online bill pay. Could that be it? Like you said you will know tomorrow when you see the copy. If the teller did key in the wrong account #, the check will not even hit your account. It will be processed against the account # encoded on the check. Although it does happen, $100 is rather small for a counterfeit check.

Where I worked, all checks being cashed were scanned thru a MICR reader. Counterfeit checks almost never have MICR encoding. The account info would come up on the screen and the teller would (should) match it to the info on the check.

I am always asked for ID at the branch in my new hometown except for today. I cashed a $26 check and wasn't asked. I also thank the tellers when they ask for ID.

Never put your outgoing mail in the mailbox outside your house for the mailman to pick up. That's just asking for trouble.

 

[dioxide45]

There may be no check copy to see. Is this not possibly a situation where someone cashed a check against your account? All you are seeing online is the $100 hold for the $100 check cashed. Could be a simple bank error. If the check clears, the hold drops.