Two South Bay homeowners, Kathy Pham and Jody Glaser, thought they had paid their property taxes on time when a thief stole their checks from the mail, altered them, and cashed them at Wells Fargo Bank for nearly $28,000.
Pham received a delinquency notice three months later, stating that she never paid her property taxes. Her bank statement showed that the check had cleared months ago, so she couldn't understand why she got a late notice.
Similarly, Jody and Paul Glaser thought they had paid their property taxes in blue mailboxes outside the post office. However, thieves stole their checks and cashed them at Wells Fargo Bank for nearly $28,000. The bank stated that customers must review bank statements each month and report unauthorized payments within 30 days or lose rights to a claim.
Wells Fargo's deposit account agreement requires customers to check the account balance and review the statement. However, it does not specifically mention reviewing check images. Consumer advocate Teresa Murray of the U.S. Public Interest Research Group says that customers may not realize state law requires them to report altered checks in a "reasonable time."
Experts say mail thieves look for envelopes containing checks, such as utility bills or birthday cards. In this case, the thief knew about blue envelopes containing Santa Clara County property tax payments.
The Glasers and Pham are now left with nearly $60,000 in debt due to Wells Fargo's refusal to refund their money. They urge others to pay bills electronically to avoid similar risks.
Pham received a delinquency notice three months later, stating that she never paid her property taxes. Her bank statement showed that the check had cleared months ago, so she couldn't understand why she got a late notice.
Similarly, Jody and Paul Glaser thought they had paid their property taxes in blue mailboxes outside the post office. However, thieves stole their checks and cashed them at Wells Fargo Bank for nearly $28,000. The bank stated that customers must review bank statements each month and report unauthorized payments within 30 days or lose rights to a claim.
Wells Fargo's deposit account agreement requires customers to check the account balance and review the statement. However, it does not specifically mention reviewing check images. Consumer advocate Teresa Murray of the U.S. Public Interest Research Group says that customers may not realize state law requires them to report altered checks in a "reasonable time."
Experts say mail thieves look for envelopes containing checks, such as utility bills or birthday cards. In this case, the thief knew about blue envelopes containing Santa Clara County property tax payments.
The Glasers and Pham are now left with nearly $60,000 in debt due to Wells Fargo's refusal to refund their money. They urge others to pay bills electronically to avoid similar risks.
I feel for these two homeowners, it's like they thought the system was safe and secure... but life can be so unpredictable. The lesson here is to always stay vigilant and proactive when it comes to managing your finances. If you pay bills online or through a trusted payment method, you're less likely to fall victim to scammers. And even if something does go wrong, having a clear paper trail (or digital one) can help prevent financial losses.
"He who does not look into himself does not know where he is going." - Henry David Thoreau 
If you're going to bank online, make sure to check your statements regularly or you'll end up in debt like these poor homeowners. 
I feel for these homeowners, Kathy and Jody, who are now stuck with this huge debt. It's not their fault that some thief stole their checks and cashed them. 
. I would definitely be paying my bills online from now on to avoid this kind of hassle 
.
. It makes me wonder how many other people are falling victim to this. We need to spread the word and start using online bill payment options ASAP 
. It's just not worth the risk, you know? 
! Can you believe someone would steal checks from the mail, alter them, and cash them? It's like they think people are oblivious or something 
. And to make matters worse, Wells Fargo is not even taking responsibility for their customers' losses - they're basically saying "you should have checked your account balance more closely" 
. I mean, come on! The bank has a responsibility to protect its customers' money.
. But nope, the thief was one step ahead of them. It's like they're just trying to take advantage of people who are trusting and law-abiding citizens 
. I mean, they thought they'd paid their property taxes on time, but some sneaky thief came along and cashed those checks for nearly $28k 
It's just not fair.
. We should all be doing that! Can't have people taking advantage of us just 'cause we're good with paper checks... right? 
We need more awareness about this kind of thing so people don't fall victim to these types of scams all over again