Identity Theft, Anyone?

[gonzai]

When I arrived at work today, our office manager was in a mood. It was a few hours before she finally let us know what about - seems someone has been forging checks on our business account. It gets better - our manager found more checks that had been forged as the morning went on, and they all came from the same place: my paycheck. Someone had taken my paycheck, replaced my name with theirs via Photoshop, updated the dates as needed and printed out the result on check paper. She then took 3 of these checks to three different cashing places, claimed to be an employee of our office and had her 'paycheck' cashed. On the day I received it, I took that check directly to the bank and deposited it with the teller personally, and only my manager, myself and the teller laid hands on it. So either the teller was in on it, or someone in the bank's check processing unit was, and as that unit is not Maryland and the crook is, it's likely someone in the branch did this. And whoever this person is, has my bank account number as well as the office's. Terrific. Just terrific.

(I have closed that account and ordered new checks, and I'll have to find a different branch to cash my checks. Dammit.)

Comments

[terri-osborne.livejournal.com]

As someone who's had an identity theft attempted on them, I sympathize. The major thing is they have your office's account. How they would have gotten the check paper to print valid checks on is something that needs to be taken up with your payroll company. That's another point in the process that this could have happened, just BTW.

If they were in your bank branch, they probably already would have had your own bank account number.

Do you have the capacity to do direct deposit of your paychecks?

Also, just on a precautionary measure, might be a good idea to let your credit card companies know this has happened, just in case someone gets any ideas about those.

[gonzai55.livejournal.com]

We do our own payroll here, there's just 8 of us, so Molly does payroll in Quicken. (And hence no direct deposit.) She's rather steamed at our bank, since they apparently let this person order checks from them and then printed out the fakes.

The one good thing is that I have no money to steal. One credit card, limit $500; and about $40 in the checking right now (is it payday yet?) So anyone trying to steal from me is in for a rude surprise!