LAKEWOOD RANCH, Fla. (WWSB) – More residents in Lakewood Ranch say they have been targeted in a mail theft scheme involving stolen and altered checks, and additional victims have reached out to ABC7 since the station first reported on the problem last week.
The scheme follows a consistent pattern: Victims mailed a check that was then stolen and “washed” — a process in which thieves erase the ink on a check while preserving the original signature, then rewrite the check to a different recipient.
Two victims said their checks were altered and addressed to people they did not know. In both cases, their banks flagged the transactions before any money was transferred. Still, the experience has changed how at least one victim handles payments going forward…