TUCSON, AZ (Tucson News Now) -
The
crime is called "check washing": Changing the payee's name on a check and
stealing thousands of dollars.
Surveillance video shows
thieves stealing from business mailboxes.
A savvy business owner had
the cameras installed after reports of suspicious break-ins.
He was alerted by
a ping on his cell phone and he was able to zoom in and identify his business
mailbox was being broken into.
The video shows the car
and image of wilfredo Bermudez, the ringleader of a scam that cost victims more
than $50,000 dollars.
"He was obtaining
business checks, he would wash and alter them and make them payable to himself
and deposit them or cash them at the banks they were drawn on."
"Check washing"
is the process of erasing details from checks to allow them to be rewritten.
The checks that they
obtained could be anywhere from $200 to $8,000. There was a large range of
checks they negotiated. In fact, they were often able to retrieve cash
immediately and quickly by going to the bank where the check was drawn.
"So they could use
their true identification and the check would be made payable to themselves and
without question they could go in and cash it."
Postal inspectors say this
is yet another lesson on how important it is for all consumers to protect their
identity.
"Be very diligent
about checking your bank accounts, credit card statements for fraudulent
transactions. Your checking and savings to make sure everything is reconciled
and all the checks can be accounted for."
Postal inspectors also
recommend requesting a free yearly credit check. The suspect in this case, Wilfredo Bermudez, was sentenced to 4 years in federal prison and ordered to
pay more than $50,000 dollars in restitution to his victims.
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