Lost my wallet tonight:(

[wendow]

@Elle23 I've had more experience with people turning lost items back in also. My dd15 has lost her iphone twice (once at Denver airport and in a parking lot) and both times people turned it in. I left my purse in a bathroom at Walmart and someone turned it in.

I believe most people do the right thing in these situations which why it makes me sad that is person hasn't

OP, this has me really thinking too in terms of what do I *really* need to carry in my wallet. You and I play the same CC game and I'd be in big trouble if I lost my wallet b/c I haven't sock-drawered everything that I should.

 

[kymom99]

You are right if something happens outside their jurisdiction they don't seem to want to go through the trouble. I know this from a family member whose home was burglarized. I am not against law enforcement but I think sometimes if you can get the money back or stop the problem yourself they don't go through the hassle.

 

[havaneselover]

You are right if something happens outside their jurisdiction they don't seem to want to go through the trouble. I know this from a family member whose home was burglarized. I am not against law enforcement but I think sometimes if you can get the money back or stop the problem yourself they don't go through the hassle.

Yep. I get that their resources are limited and there are rules.

One of the checks was cashed in the city adjacent to my county. I suspect the other check was as well. So I probably can't give my police department any new information.

I know it's very unlikely that this person will be caught, but I would be really happy if they were.

 

[havaneselover]

@Elle23 I've had more experience with people turning lost items back in also. My dd15 has lost her iphone twice (once at Denver airport and in a parking lot) and both times people turned it in. I left my purse in a bathroom at Walmart and someone turned it in.

I believe most people do the right thing in these situations which why it makes me sad that is person hasn't

OP, this has me really thinking too in terms of what do I *really* need to carry in my wallet. You and I play the same CC game and I'd be in big trouble if I lost my wallet b/c I haven't sock-drawered everything that I should.

I'm fortunate. So far my bank, HSA, and Amex have taken most of the hit. I don't know if the bank can get the money back from target and walmart for cashing those checks. But yes, I was careless and not proactive and once I get a wallet and the rest of my cards back I'm going to be much more careful. Because even though I've for the most part been not on the hook for all of this stuff, it's an incredible headache. Every morning I wake up and wonder what's next.

Appreciate all the positive vibes and advice on this thread. Disboard Budgeters are the best!!!

 

[kymom99]

Yep. I get that their resources are limited and there are rules.

One of the checks was cashed in the city adjacent to my county. I suspect the other check was as well. So I probably can't give my police department any new information.

I know it's very unlikely that this person will be caught, but I would be really happy if they were.

I totally understand. It took over 6 months to catch the thieves who stole from my relatives. They admitted to over 100 burglaries when finally caught. My relative traced their tv down via their Netflix account. The police had to get a warrant to obtain internet record to confirm it. The person with the tv was not the burglar but was very evasive about how he got the tv. They didn't get any of their other stuff back and the tv was cracked. The thieves were caught in another state and the police in our county said they probably wont bother with charges because they have enough in the other state to put them away for a long time. Sort of makes you feel insignificant.

 

[runwad]

I'm trying to figure out how best to protect my identity since this person is pretty brazen and has my address, birthday, name, etc. I'm debating between a credit monitoring service like lifelock or just putting a freeze on my credit.

FREEZE!!! https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0497-credit-freeze-faqs

Everyone should have a freeze because of the Equifax hack!!

FREEZE, FREEZE, FREEZE, People

 

[gottalovepluto]

...My relative traced their tv down via their Netflix account...

You're relative is a BOSS. Can I borrow them next time something of mine gets stolen?

 

[kymom99]

You're relative is a BOSS. Can I borrow them next time something of mine gets stolen?

He sure is! He saw things on his Netflix account that were tween type shows. It's just 2 adults at their home so he knew something was fishy. He was able to Google the Internet address that he found somehow through Netflix. It gave him the location.

The sad thing is, in our state there are procedures pawn shops have to follow when buying stuff. Across the river in Ohio it is much more lenient. The thieves admitted to taking everything to one pawn shop an hour away. Now you know those people have to know it's stolen. The kicker is if you find your stuff at one of those places you have to buy it back!

 

[gottalovepluto]

...The thieves admitted to taking everything to one pawn shop an hour away. Now you know those people have to know it's stolen. The kicker is if you find your stuff at one of those places you have to buy it back!

A tale this Californian knows well. My grandmother's pool sweep was sawed off one night. A couple weeks later we found it on Craigslist. No serial number by then -amazing how it just got scratched off with wear & tear you know- but we knew all the dents and weird scratches cause she'd had it for years. Didn't matter the police said. (And she wasn't about to pay for it again- joke was on the idiot that bought it, as great as it worked thing should've died at least 5 years before it was stolen!)

 

[havaneselover]

Wells Fargo cashed another $600 of checks on my closed accounts (four more--two ACH converts at Target). They cannot explain why they are still letting checks through. One suggestion was they were written before my account was closed??? Three of the checks totaling about $550 were written at three different Targets which are each 30 minutes or so from each other. So in the 30 minutes between when my wallet was taken and when I called WF (1st call I made), this person had bought $550 worth of stuff at three different targets all over my metro area (there was also another $150 check to a Walmart). Wells Fargo is going to have to freeze my new account. Once they refund me the $900 I'm out I'm taking my business elsewhere.

 

[kymom99]

Wells Fargo cashed another $600 of checks on my closed accounts (four more--two ACH converts at Target). They cannot explain why they are still letting checks through. One suggestion was they were written before my account was closed??? Three of the checks totaling about $550 were written at three different Targets which are each 30 minutes or so from each other. So in the 30 minutes between when my wallet was taken and when I called WF (1st call I made), this person had bought $550 worth of stuff at three different targets all over my metro area (there was also another $150 check to a Walmart). Wells Fargo is going to have to freeze my new account. Once they refund me the $900 I'm out I'm taking my business elsewhere.

That is just ridiculous.

 

[wgeo]

I wonder if you didn't "drop" your wallet out of your purse. Sounds like these people were very intentional - any chance they stole it from your purse while you were loading stuff into your car?

 

[havaneselover]

I wonder if you didn't "drop" your wallet out of your purse. Sounds like these people were very intentional - any chance they stole it from your purse while you were loading stuff into your car?

It’s definitely possible. It happened between self checkout and my van. Could have fallen out in cart or parking lot or taken when I wasn’t paying attention???

 

[MKCP5]

I just want to say I am so sorry this happened to you. Life is hard work when everything is going smoothly. Things like this are a real burden. Sending you good thoughts

 

[havaneselover]

I just want to say I am so sorry this happened to you. Life is hard work when everything is going smoothly. Things like this are a real burden. Sending you good thoughts

Thanks! I have a few other major issues on my plate right now and this is doing me in

 

[NinaBella]

Oh goodness. This is stressful. But since you reported this to Wells Fargo prior to those checks cashing, the checks they are cashing on your closed account will not impact you. Wells Fargo will be out that money, not you. Banks are insured for this reason. Also, Wells Fargo Fraud Department and the police department should be doing all the research at this point, there is no need for you to have to do the research for them. You have done your due diligence.

 

[smiths02]

Thank God for good, honest people!

I once left my phone on the seat of the shopping cart and didn’t realize it until I got home. I raced back to the store and it wasn’t in the cart. I went into customer service and some kind person had turned it in.

I also dropped a credit card on the ground at a gas station and didn’t realize it until I was about 20 miles down the road. Ran back and another nice soul had turned it in!

OP....I am so sorry for what you are going through. It has made me determined to be more vigilant with important stuff (as you can see from above, I can be a bit spacey).
I hope everything works out for you and they catch the person who did this.

Freeze AND credit monitoring service. Some of the credit monitoring services would be helping you sort things out in a situation like this.

Wells Fargo cashed another $600 of checks on my closed accounts (four more--two ACH converts at Target). They cannot explain why they are still letting checks through. One suggestion was they were written before my account was closed??? Three of the checks totaling about $550 were written at three different Targets which are each 30 minutes or so from each other. So in the 30 minutes between when my wallet was taken and when I called WF (1st call I made), this person had bought $550 worth of stuff at three different targets all over my metro area (there was also another $150 check to a Walmart). Wells Fargo is going to have to freeze my new account. Once they refund me the $900 I'm out I'm taking my business elsewhere.

My mom had a bad experience with Wells Fargo. She got a a money order through them to pay a mortgage payment. Apparently it got lost/stolen in the mail. She reported it, and it took MONTHS...they did everything to accuse he of fraud. (Saying things to her like "if it gets cashed somewhere, you will be arrested.") Meanwhile, her mortgage was late, etc.

 

[DisneyMandC]

@havaneselover I hadn't checked in on this thread in a while and am just catching up. I'm so sorry. I wish I had more helpful things to add, but it just plain stinks that you are going through this. I hope that the police can figure out who did this based on the check cashing. Sometimes it can take a while (months) but they'll eventually catch up with the people. It's a slow process.

ETA: It VA it is a felony if it is over $200. Are you able to see any of the store numbers for where they cashed checks at?

 

[havaneselover]

@havaneselover I hadn't checked in on this thread in a while and am just catching up. I'm so sorry. I wish I had more helpful things to add, but it just plain stinks that you are going through this. I hope that the police can figure out who did this based on the check cashing. Sometimes it can take a while (months) but they'll eventually catch up with the people. It's a slow process.

ETA: It VA it is a felony if it is over $200. Are you able to see any of the store numbers for where they cashed checks at?

Yes! I have two checks cashed at 7-Elevens in Chesterfield (I know the location), and know the Targets the checks were cashed at (Stafford Hills, Short Pump, White Oak). Plus my credit card and debit card were used at Short Pump Walmart. They also wrote a check at Walmart, but I'm not sure which one at this time. So I have three police departments involved (Henrico, Chesterfield, Richmond) which probably doesn't help but it is what it is.

I did see on the 7-Eleven checks that the person gave them my drivers license. I guess the person looks just like me??? And they did write a phone number on those checks but I'm sure it's made up.

Wells Fargo told me basically when they opened up the new account it was done incorrectly because it's attached to the old account. Basically that's as good as leaving the old account open. Ugh.

 

[DisneyMandC]

Yes! I have two checks cashed at 7-Elevens in Chesterfield (I know the location), and know the Targets the checks were cashed at (Stafford Hills, Short Pump, White Oak). Plus my credit card and debit card were used at Short Pump Walmart. They also wrote a check at Walmart, but I'm not sure which one at this time. So I have three police departments involved (Henrico, Chesterfield, Richmond) which probably doesn't help but it is what it is.

I did see on the 7-Eleven checks that the person gave them my drivers license. I guess the person looks just like me??? And they did write a phone number on those checks but I'm sure it's made up.

Wells Fargo told me basically when they opened up the new account it was done incorrectly because it's attached to the old account. Basically that's as good as leaving the old account open. Ugh.

How irritating with Wells Fargo!

Well, the (unfortunately) good news is that since they have cashed so many checks and used your credit and debit card so many times, they have left a significant paper trail/chain of video surveillance in their wake. Considering their success at doing this so quickly and getting so much money, it is likely someone who has pulled this scheme before. I have seen people get caught in similar situations after as much as almost a year later. And sometimes all it takes is for one detective to recognize the person's face on a surveillance video and they'll know who it is.

If you have additional questions about this process as it (hopefully) moves along on the criminal end, I'd be happy to answer them if you want to PM me!