CLEVELAND — Attorney Richard Herman is scrolling through Reddit, looking for other victims like himself.
"After we reported this in December, another check went through in January."
Herman says thieves "checked washed" his business checking account with Fifth Third Bank, gaining access to almost $7,000 from his account. Check washing occurs when thieves steal checks from mailboxes and mail carriers and use common household cleaning products such as bleach or acetone to remove all the information on the check — except for the signature. They then change payee names and dollar amounts to deposit the checks into their own account.
Herman says he flagged Fifth Third of the problem, telling them his account was being check washed.
"We told Fifth Third about it," he recalled. "And they basically said, 'Don't worry about it. We're on top of it.'"
Then, in December, Herman was "hit with seven or eight checks." It happened again the next month.
When he got no results from Fifth Third, he sent a letter to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown's office, and the CEO of Fifth Third.
"Under Ohio law, you have a duty to exercise ordinary care in good faith," he explained. "This is not ordinary care. Please reimburse our money promptly."
In paperwork sent to Herman, Fifth Third denied his request, claiming his "positive pay" service makes him responsible for monitoring his account. In a statement to 3News, the bank said, "We are committed to assisting customers who have experienced fraud on their account. While we cannot comment on specific customer, unauthorized or altered checks must be timely reported and we may attempt recovery after such date, but recovery cannot be guaranteed."
The company also gave us these tips on how to avoid becoming a victim of check washing:
- Check your accounts often (such as online or through the mobile app).
- Be sure to check your mailbox and get your mail frequently.
- Have the post office hold your mail while you're on vacation.
- When mailing a check, consider taking it directly into the post office.
Herman doesn't know where thieves got his checks, but does know this: There are victims all across the country, mostly the elderly, disabled, and immigrants. His post on Reddit about his own experience has 30,000 views.
For Herman, it's not about the money, but about those who can't fight the bank like he can.
"That's what I feel is really have at play here: profits over customer protection and customer safety."