Watch out if people can get at your outgoing mail.

[LAS14]

We live in a condo with a mail room. We can mail stuff be sticking it through a slot and then the mailman can pick it up. Recently we had 5 different checks mis-deposited. They were made out to Capital One (3) and 2 other individual vendors. They were endorsed with my name or hubby's. Both, of course, printed on the check. We know for sure that one of them was deposited via cell phone. It seems clear to us that the software that allows cell phone deposits (or at least some of the software) is scanning for any name on the front of the check to compare to the endorsement.

One bank just gave me back my money and called me to tell me I'd have to re-send a check.

The other bank required that I make a police report and take the number to the local branch then wait for them to work through to get the money from the bank that actually cashed it. I'm still waiting. I found the first 3 checks all at once. Found the other two later. Now have to go through the whole police report again.

[k8conant]

1. Do you mean "signed" rather than "endorsed"?

I'm confused

[LAS14]

3. No, I mean endorsed.

I wrote a check to Capital One. The thief wrote one of our names on the back of the check. It has to be endorsed to deposit it via cell phone. Apparently the stupid software doesn't care where the endorsement name appears on the front of the check..... And, of course, the requirement for a valid signature disappeared long ago.

[k8conant]

5. Sorry I thought you meant YOU had endorsed them

rather than the thief.

[Ms. Toad]

15. Checks can be deposited in the account bearing the name of the payee without the payee's signature.

They cannot legally be cashed

The requirement for a valid signature still remains, unless the paper is bearer paper. You wrote order paper, and it is not valid in anyone else's hands until Capital One endorses it.

It may be a pain to remedy it, but legally speaking - you are incorrect that the requirement for a valid signature no longer exists.

[LAS14]

18. I didn't mean, literally, that I can't get my money back.

I spoke to the bank again today (over a week after my complaint). I can't get my money back until the bank that cashed the check gives the money to my bank. I just meant that in this digital age, signatures aren't looked at without a lot of fuss.

[marybourg]

2. For many years I've been mailing

checks at the P.O. only.

[RKP5637]

4. That's the safest way. Checks have a lot of info. on them, of course. Ones name, account

number, routing number, home address, sometimes a phone number plus a signature(s). A gift to a clever identity thief IMO.

[BumRushDaShow]

17. That is what I do

and it is what I just did this morning. And as much as possible, I try to mail it inside the PO lobby's "stamped mail" slot vs the mailbox just outside of PO... But if I have to, it goes in the mailbox outside of the PO (I know there are surveillance cameras there).

Before I retired, I mailed stuff using the PO box inside the federal building where I worked.

[MineralMan]

6. Have you discussed this with the condo management?

If not, you should.

I always mail checks at the Post Office. I write very few these days, though. Almost everything is paid using my computer.

[LAS14]

10. Yep. I reported it both times. nt

[rzemanfl]

27. You're sounding a tad patriarchal there. It's an adjustment, I'm sure.

[brewens]

7. What are these checks of which you speak? n/t

[LAS14]

11. ???? I don't understand. nt

[Luciferous]

12. It was a joke. Most people don't use checks, they pay online.

I always mail checks at the post office. I don't trust people not to steal my information.

[LAS14]

13. Ahhh... Thanks so much. I really appreciate people who...

... are willing to explain this new world to me. (Not sarcastic!!)

[Luciferous]

29. No problem :)

[left-of-center2012]

8. Due to mail thefts at my apartment complex ...

I rent a mail box at UPS where I mail and receive all mail, packages, etc.

[Shrike47]

9. We drop our outgoing at the post office. Seems safest.

Our neighborhood doesn’t seem threatening but the mail delivery person is erratic so we just drive by the post office. I realize that’s a luxury for some.

[sarcasmo]

25. I do the same. Live in a 16 building unit and don't use the building mailbox, way to many issues.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

14. For what it's worth, I won't even drop outgoing mail

in the outgoing slot at my mailbox cluster. Of course, that's in no small part because my mail delivery person is totally incompetent.

The real issue for you seems to be that someone is simply stealing mail from that mail room. You ought to have a discussion with the association or whoever is in charge of that mail room.

And really, consider electronic banking. I do all of my bill-paying electronically these days. It's faster, less expensive, and everything gets paid in a timely fashion. Still, if you prefer using checks, take up dropping them off at a post office location.

[eleny]

16. Ever since our neighbor had outgoing mail stolen from their mailbox I bring our outgoing to the P.O.

We have mailboxes on posts in front of our houses at the curb in this neighborhood. Our neighbor across the street was sitting outside of her house right by her front door enjoying some late autumn sunshine. A car pulled up and stole their mail from their mailbox. It all happened so fast. She's disabled from a stroke so she couldn't jump up and at least get their license plate details. Her husband put a stop on the checks that were meant to pay a few bills.

The delivery times change often here so it's hard to wait for the mail truck. So ever since then I take our outgoing mail to the Post Office.

[mercuryblues]

21. Your neighbor can try to

have his mail delivered right to the house. Call the PO and inform them of the medical condition. Most of the time they will agree to deliver it to the door.

[eleny]

23. Thanks for the word

They did speak to the delivery person about what happened. But I don't know if they discussed other options for pickup and delivery. I'll let them know what you shared. It's easy enough to leave a note for the delivery person inside the box asking them to come to the door to pick up some outgoing bills.

Thanks again for letting me know about this. It's something I never knew about. You're a

[mercuryblues]

24. I know they used to do it.

I hope they haven't stopped.

[zipplewrath]

28. They did for my mother

Postman saw her struggling to get out to the street and brought her a box to sit right by the front door where he started delivering her mail.

[TheBlackAdder]

19. Always pay bills electronically. It's safer than mailing a check. You won't get effed by a bank.

.

Not only is it safer to pay electronically, if you have a secure HTTPS session, but most banks and credit processing services use the same systems to enter your payment information manually. While some might not be on the front facing servers, most hit the same middle to back-end systems. Unless it's a weekend or past the daily cut-off time, your payment will post on the day you enter it, and you will get an email confirmation of the payment. You also don't have to worry if your payment was posted before the due date, or if the check was lost in the mail. Just use diligence in confirming the website's URL before logging onto their site to make the payment. By mailing payments, you are introducing multiple levels of human intervention into the handling of a payment, including payment contracting firms who don't necessissarily hire the most scrupulous of people, who are both underpaid and overworked. You are allowing them to see your check images.


There is also a second benefit to this:

Some banks will sit on incoming check payments for upwards of a week, before processing them. They do this, hoping to incur a late charge on the customer who mails it just before the cut-off period. Unfortunately, when you are dinged with as little as one late payment, it permeates across all your creditors and they all start to jack up your interest rates. Some of the fucked up institutions will place you into their default interest rate, which nears 29% or more.



.

[RKP5637]

20. Yep!!! Been doing this for years, since about day 1. n/t

[dalton99a]

22. +1

[avebury]

26. I make all of my payments online

Or via automatic payments. I rarely mail anything.