Two South Bay homeowners say a routine property-tax payment turned into a financial nightmare after their mailed checks were stolen, altered, and cashed, and their bank refused to reimburse them. Jody and Paul Glaser of Los Altos say a nearly $28,000 tax check was changed and deposited by someone else, forcing them to pay the bill and penalties a second time. The ordeal is the latest in what residents describe as a growing pattern of check thefts, leading many locals to think twice before using those familiar blue collection boxes.
The homeowners only discovered the problem when the county mailed delinquency notices. When they pulled up check images online, they saw that the original payee line had been chemically washed and a new name inserted, according to ABC7. San Jose resident Kathy Pham says a stolen $2,400 check of hers was altered and cashed the same way, and investigators later traced the Glasers’ much larger check to a deposit at a U.S. Bank ATM in Minnesota. Neighbors say the blue mailbox outside the post office where the Glasers dropped their payment has since been sealed, with signs directing people to bring mail inside the building instead.
Wells Fargo told the Glasers their claims were denied because customers are required to review account statements and report unauthorized payments within a specific time window, and the bank updated its deposit agreement last November to spell out that this review includes check images, the station reported. The bank said in a written statement, “We empathize with our customer’s situation. We never want to see anyone experience a financial scam or fraud,” according to ABC7. The Glasers counter that their monthly statements showed only a generic “check” entry with no listed payee, so they saw no reason to click through and download images each month. ABC7’s consumer team reports that Pham eventually received a refund after the station pushed for an appeal, but the Glasers’ larger claim remains denied while the bank says it is still trying to recover the money.
Postal Inspectors Sound Alarm, Offer Safety Tips
The U.S. Postal Service and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service say mail theft is on the rise, with criminals frequently targeting checks in particular. Their Project Safe Delivery campaign has rolled out hardened collection boxes, new electronic locks, and increased enforcement efforts, according to USPS. Postal officials are urging customers to put outgoing payments in indoor drop slots, hand them directly to a mail carrier, and sign up for Informed Delivery so they can spot when expected mail goes missing. For large tax or escrow payments, experts advise using electronic payments or cashier’s checks and hanging on to proof of payment until the agency or lender confirms it has arrived…