Going to law enforcement after check fraud?
March 28, 2023 6:56 PM   Subscribe

Today we found out that someone had some checks printed with my Mom's account information and has been cashing or depositing them over the past few weeks to a small bank across the country. How do we move forward trying to bust this person?

The fraud department of the small bank is who got in touch (but I unwittingly approved a couple of fraud alerts from our bank last week, protip have an idea what your check sequence numbers are). We've already spoken with both banks and everything is going to be reversed, so the financial part is taken care of. There is also a fraud lock (deposits only) on the account until we transfer over to a new account number.

Now I want to go to law enforcement. The bank said go to local police, but I was wondering if going to the county's District Attorney be better? I've had trouble in the past getting police response for something in another jurisdiction, so I'm a little reticent to put all of my faith in them. The fake checks include some telltale elements that point to a specific vector of trouble, which is one of our caregivers for my Mom that I hired almost on sight after meeting her through an agency (that I assumed would be a good crime filter). Of course it may be someone in her orbit that saw a check laying around and took a pic, but regardless they are in the hot seat.

I'm not trying to get all nosy and try to get security cam footage or device IDs (for mobile deposit) and get my forensics on, but I'd like to be ahead of the ball as to what to supply and who to supply it to.

Prevouslies that overlap a bit: 1, 2
posted by rhizome to Law & Government (3 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
I am so sorry you’re going through this. We’re having to deal with a similar thing over here. It’s a mess.

The police report is necessary. Not a lot can be done if you don’t report it as a crime. Then contact the DA.

Pull all of your mom’s credit reports, check those, and put a lock on them. That won’t stop new deposit accounts from being opened in her name (because banks are not obligated to check for identity fraud before opening new deposit accounts FOR REASONS THAT I DO NOT UNDERSTAND), but it gives some added protection. Then it’s a matter of checking her credit reports every month for a while and calling on any new hits you see from banks. It’s an unmitigated pain. I wish you luck.
posted by Silvery Fish at 7:02 PM on March 28, 2023 [1 favorite]


Make the police reports so you have a record. They will not do any investigating. Yes you are pissed off, and should be, but know they aren't going to do anything.

Stop mailing paper checks, they are being stolen by the thousands out of the mail every day.

Switch everything possible to electronic transfers.
posted by TheAdamist at 7:09 PM on March 28, 2023 [1 favorite]


Yeah the cops aren't going to lift one finger for this. Your bank has the real interest here anyway. Concur with "stop using paper checks."
posted by spitbull at 3:10 AM on March 29, 2023


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