A routine trip to the mailbox has turned into a five-figure headache for a Lombard couple who say two everyday bill payments were intercepted, chemically altered, and cashed for more than $11,000. Now they are pointing the finger squarely at their local post office and warning neighbors to pay close attention to their accounts.
Therese Scarlati says she mailed a $165 insurance check while her husband dropped a $64 water bill in the mail. Both checks were later cashed for far larger amounts, leaving the couple temporarily out roughly $11,000 until the dispute is resolved with their bank.
According to CBS Chicago, the original $165 and $64 checks were allegedly “washed,” rewritten for $5,200 and $5,700, and made out to the same unfamiliar name, “Q'shawn Jackson.” The station reports Bank of America called Therese after flagging one of the suspicious transactions, and that someone tried to cash the altered checks using the bank’s mobile deposit tools.
Scarlati told CBS Chicago she went straight to the Lombard post office and was allowed to look into the back area, where she said she found “there was no cameras in the back area” to monitor outgoing mail. After she described the ordeal on Facebook, she says dozens of neighbors chimed in with their own recent stories about missing envelopes or checks that never reached their destination. The couple said they expect to be reimbursed because deposits are federally insured and, going forward, plan to write checks using permanent, indelible ink.
How does washing works and why it is resurfacing
Check washing is a mail-based scam that relies on good old-fashioned chemistry. Thieves steal checks from the mail, use solvents to lift off the handwritten ink, then rewrite the payee name and amount before trying to cash or deposit the altered check.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service says Postal Inspectors recover more than $1 billion in counterfeit checks and money orders every year and warns that stolen mail and altered checks are still a common route for fraud. Law enforcement and financial institutions report that the tactic has become more organized in recent years, often involving money mules and coordinated cashing attempts.
What to do if your mailed check disappears
If a check you mailed never shows up or clears for an amount you did not authorize, the first call should be to your bank. Customers are advised to report the suspected fraud, freeze or close affected accounts if needed and follow the bank’s instructions for disputing the transaction.
Victims are also urged to file a police report and submit a complaint to the Postal Inspection Service as quickly as possible. The Inspection Service recommends simple preventive steps like mailing items before the last daily pickup and placing a hold on mail at the Post Office when you are out of town so outgoing envelopes are less likely to be intercepted.
Government guidance explains that banks investigate altered-check claims and may offer provisional credit while they look into what happened. Consumers are advised to save statements, copies of checks and any correspondence related to the incident and to follow their bank’s fraud-reporting procedures. More detail on how banks handle forgery disputes is available on HelpWithMyBank.gov.
Local reaction and what to watch for
For Lombard residents who still mail paper checks for utilities, insurance and other bills, the Scarlatis’ story is hitting close to home. Those who want to stay with old-school payments may want to drop envelopes in secure slots at post offices instead of street boxes, pick up incoming mail promptly and think twice before leaving anything valuable overnight.
Others may decide to move more of their payments online through bank bill-pay services or company websites to limit the number of physical checks traveling through the mail. The USPS Office of Inspector General has documented cases where postal employees or outside accomplices worked together to steal and alter mailed instruments, resulting in arrests and prosecutions.
For now, the Lombard couple’s warning is simple: monitor your accounts closely, question any odd-looking deposits or withdrawals and use the Postal Inspection Service’s reporting channels if you suspect someone intercepted and washed a check you trusted to the mail.
