Whiting Post Office complaints go viral after radio host says checks were altered
Complaints against Indiana post office going viral
Complaints about a northwest Indiana post office have gone viral. Customers claim mail has been stolen and checks meant to pay bills were cashed by fraudsters.
WHITING, Ind. - Complaints about a northwest Indiana post office are gaining attention after a local radio host said several checks he mailed were altered and fraudulently cashed.
Northwest Indiana Post Office gains attention
The backstory:
Tom Dabertin, host of WJOB's "The Morning Call," said he mailed three bill-payment checks through the indoor mail slot at the Whiting Post Office because he believed it was a secure way to send them.
He said the creditors never received the checks.
After contacting his bank, Dabertin said he learned all three checks had been altered and cashed by someone else. He said the bank determined the transactions were fraudulent.
"Well, I was quite upset, obviously. And you feel violated," Dabertin said.
One of the checks was originally written for $93.08, but Dabertin said it was altered to $4,093.08, made payable to someone else and withdrawn from his account.
After sharing his experience on his radio show, Dabertin said multiple callers reported similar problems after mailing checks through the same post office. FOX Chicago has not independently verified those claims.
Jesse Hunt, market president for northwest Indiana at Notre Dame Federal Credit Union, said check fraud is becoming more common.
"You'd be surprised. So people will take the check. And if you leave space on there—say you write a check for $1,000 and you don't fill it all the way across—they can take that and they can turn it into $10,000. They can change the payee on there. They'll sign over it, you know, with a Sharpie. They'll use an ATM to deposit the check to kind of avoid, you know, the normal scrutiny you would get if you went into a bank," Hunt said.
Hunt recommends using payment methods that reduce the need to mail personal checks, including electronic payments when available.
Dabertin said he contacted the Whiting Post Office, Whiting police and other government offices but has been frustrated by what he believes has been a lack of answers.
"I think what was surprising was the outrage. People are really upset, and they're especially upset because they asked what was being done about it. And unfortunately, to date, nothing," Dabertin said.
USPS responds
USPS provided FOX Chicago with a statement, saying it works to address mail-service concerns brought to its attention and encourages customers to contact their local postal station or visit USPS.com.
"The Postal Service is committed to providing the best possible service to our customers and we apologize for any inconvenience they may have experienced. When mail service issues occur, we take steps to quickly resolve customer concerns. We gladly work to address any specific issue from the community when brought to our attention and we encourage customers to reach out to their local postal station. Customers can also go to our website, www.usps.com and click on 'Contact us' at the bottom of our homepage.
"Every email will be carefully documented and appropriate action taken to strengthen service. The Postal Service will diligently continue to investigate customer's concerns and correct deficiencies to improve service to our communities," USPS said.
The agency did not specifically address Dabertin’s case or say whether it is investigating.
Dabertin says the experience changed the way he views mailing checks.
"You feel like there's, you know, there are a few systems in this nation that you still can take pride in. One is and you believe that they're secure. One is the banking system and the other is the postal service. And I found out that the Postal Service isn't as secure as I thought it was," Dabertin said.
The Source: The information in this article was reported by FOX Chicago's Joanie Lum.