A Houston resident, Katy Emde, is issuing a cautionary message to individuals who mail checks through the United States Postal Service (USPS).
Emde reported that earlier this year, she sent out 10 checks to cover taxes on several properties. However, she discovered that two of the checks had been washed, altered, and cashed by someone other than the intended recipient, the Harris County Tax Office.
The practice of altering checks is known as “check washing,” wherein the names on the checks are changed, and the checks are then deposited fraudulently.
Emde emphasized the importance of sharing her story to raise awareness about this issue. She noted that the altered checks bore completely different handwriting but retained the original dollar amounts and her signature.
Upon detection, Emde’s bank contacted her to verify the authenticity of the checks, and subsequently, the Harris County Tax Office also reached out to her via mail regarding the incident.
Although Emde has cooperated with the Harris County Tax Office, they have not indicated an active investigation into the matter.
Efforts to obtain comments from the Harris County Tax Office and the United States Postal Service have been made, with the latter directing inquiries to the United States Postal Inspection Service. However, responses are pending at this time.
