0:00
well not a scam that's been around but
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some say is on the rise it's called
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check washing starts when a scammer
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steals your check out of the mail uses
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chemicals to wash off the ink and then
0:10
they fill in their own name and write
0:11
checks to clean out a victim's bank
0:13
account seven on your side Nina pan has
0:15
helped some viewers get their money back
0:17
and has tips on how to avoid becoming a
0:20
yourself I was shocked Carol colan is of
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a generation who balances her checkbook
0:24
and writes paper checks for all her
0:26
bills on November 17th she wrote out a
0:29
check to pay off her AMX balance mailed
0:31
it from her Upper East Side building but
0:34
by the time it cashed it was more than
0:36
13 times the amount she rode it for and
0:39
made out to a complete stranger 656 to
0:43
9,000 yeah across the park on the upper
0:46
wests side freelance TV producer Matt
0:48
chick is a genzer who mostly Banks
0:51
online renovating a new apartment with
0:53
his wife the newly R wrote a check to
0:55
one of his contractors I live right
0:57
across from ABC so I mailed it right out
0:58
to the put it right in the mailbox and 2
1:01
days later when I saw it was deposited I
1:02
said that's very unlikely cashed but not
1:05
by his electrician the name had been
1:07
scratched out and changed to Jennifer
1:11
7500 out of their joint account after
1:14
this experience I'll never I'll never
1:15
mail a check again Carol says when she
1:17
first contacted citizens it said no
1:19
problem her money would be returned but
1:21
then later said it didn't think the
1:23
check was altered then he said well it
1:25
says the case is closed I said what
1:28
Matt's been ping ponging between between
1:30
his bank Chase and Bank of America which
1:33
cashed the forge check and it's been 130
1:35
days I believe since I filed the report
1:37
with with Chase and there's been nothing
1:39
nothing done both had something else in
1:41
common they had relatives send them
1:42
seven ony Side Story where we helped a
1:45
veteran recover Seven Grand after his
1:48
check was stolen washed and forged I
1:51
found seven on your side from my dad
1:53
that you stepped in and solve this
1:54
problem from a previous person we began
1:56
working with all the banks citizens
1:58
returned Carol's $9,000 within days oh
2:01
it's fabulous I'm so happy I can't tell
2:03
you I I don't believe it Matt's case
2:06
took weeks to resolve both Banks
2:08
apologize and we got his 7500 back I
2:11
really appreciate you supporting people
2:13
like me a few big takeaways if you're
2:15
going to write a check use a pen with
2:16
indelible ink a black gel pen will seep
2:19
into the check's fibers make it a lot
2:21
harder to wash and try to mail from the
2:23
post office not a standalone mailbox
2:26
because thieves find a way to fish out
2:28
of here always please double check your
2:30
check's images for forgery and if you're
2:32
a victim of fraud report it right away
2:34
to the USPS so they can investigate on
