(WSVN) – Have you been sending checks via mail? If sure, then beware, as a result of checks are being stolen in South Florida and sold on the dark web. 7’s Kevin Ozebek investigates.
Debra Beilman and her crew at MGI increase and marketplace make-up for primary logo names. Business is booming for them, however in March, greater than a dozen of Beilman’s distributors and providers weren’t paid. She quickly discovered that any person had damaged into the outgoing mailbox on the business park the place MGI is situated.
On checking with her financial institution, Beilman discovered that 15 checks, totaling just about $40,000, had been altered. The payee title were modified, and the take a look at were cashed via any person else. For lots of the checks, the payee was once modified to “Darion” with an deal with in Benton, Arkansas.
David Maimon with Georgia State University scours the dark web for criminal activity. His crew is discovering a slew of stolen checks from South Florida on the market on encrypted messaging apps. The checks come with stolen checks from a Fort Lauderdale rental construction, a plant nursery in Homestead, and a concierge provider in Miami.
Postal inspector Ivan Rameriz admits that, with a flood of proceedings, and most effective about 70 investigators in Florida, they are able to’t reply to each and every case as rapid as they’d like. With thieves nonetheless available in the market, Ivan says it’s highest to by no means go away outgoing checks in a mailbox in a single day.
Ellie and Debra say they’re going handy outgoing checks immediately to a mail service or drop them off inside of a post place of business. If you’re additionally sending checks via mail, watch out and take further precautions to make certain that they would possibly not be stolen.
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