SHOREWOOD, Wis. — Paying bills is part of everyday life. But, for Jeannée Sacken, mailing a simple check turned into a financial headache.
In October 2022, Sacken says she wrote a check for $11.95 to pay a credit card bill. She put the check in a mailbox outside the Shorewood Post Office.
Two weeks later, the company she sent the bill to told her it never received the payment.
“My husband looked up the check online. The original payment for $11.95, it had been washed or bleached and re-written by the person who took the check in the amount of $4,000,” said Sacken.
The I-Team found this is a practice called check washing. Thieves steal a check, wipe out the information with bleach or other chemicals, then change the amount.
“We just happened to have that amount of money in our checking account. So, it sort of wiped out our checking account,” said Sacken.
Police in Shorewood confirm there have been at least a dozen other victims with similar cases since November 2022. But, they can’t say for sure how the mail is being stolen.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) says it also launched an investigation but would not comment further.
Lisa Schiller works for the Better Business Bureau. She tells the I-Team the first thing you can do to protect yourself when writing a check is to know what kind of ink you’re using.
“We advise using a gel pen and not a ballpoint pen. It makes it harder to erase,” said Schiller.
Schiller also says it is good practice to routinely check your accounts.
“If you notice anything is off at all, an amount doesn’t seem right, or the check doesn’t appear to be cashed by the person or company you made the check to, absolutely bring that to the attention of your bank immediately,” said Schiller.
USPIS also says it is a good idea not to let mail pile up in your mailbox. If you use an outside drop box like Sacken did, make sure you are doing it before the last pickup time of the day listed on the box.
Fortunately, Sacken was able to contact her bank and get the $4,000 put back in her account.
But, she says this situation has changed how she sends anything through the mail.
“I let people know a check is coming. I call to make sure it gets there. When I mail a credit card bill now I’m constantly going online to make sure it has been received,” said Sacken.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service says the first thing you should do if this happens to you is contact the police. You should also file a report directly with USPIS by calling 877-876-2455.
USPIS also offered these tips to avoid mail theft:
- Do not let incoming or outgoing mail sit and accumulate in your mailbox.
- Promptly remove mail from your mailbox after delivery, especially if you’re expecting checks, credit cards, or other negotiable items.
- If you do not receive a check or other valuable mail, contact the issuing party as soon as possible.
- Sign up for USPS Informed Delivery [gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com] to have a better idea of what mail you can expect delivered to you each day.
- Monitor your financial accounts and credit profiles for any fraudulent activity, even if you are not a victim of mail theft. Early detection is so important! In that vein, consider credit freezes with the three major credit bureaus (Experian, TransUnion, Equifax).
- If you are dropping off outgoing mail in a collection box, verify you are doing it before the last pickup time of the day listed on the box.