Scammers are getting away with about $10,000 after a Naples’ woman says they stole checks from her mailbox and washed them.
She believes someone stole checks she wrote and put them in an outgoing mailbox last Friday, where someone took them out.
When she logged into her bank account, she noticed that the checks had already been cashed. She said at that moment she knew something was wrong.
"I was like, 'who is this Maria?' This is completely not me, nor is it the account number. So they completely washed this whole entire check. Then there was another check I wrote for a $40 co-pay. That was changed to $1,500,” the woman said.
Naples police said that crooks wash the checks by putting them in a chemical solution that dissolves the ink.
"Which does not degrade the integrity of the check, it only lets the suspect erase the victim's pen strokes,” Lieutenant Seth Finman said.
After the ink dissolves, police said, someone can write a new amount in the pay to and dollar amount spaces.
Identity theft experts say you can help prevent this kind of check fraud by investing in high-security checks, using gel-based pens with dark ink and shred any voided checks.
The Naples’ victim said she expects her bank to cover the loss, but she closed her account as a result.
“Fortunate enough, I'm OK, but for someone that doesn't have anything, they could be completely wiped out. It's criminal."
