General Question...someone stole my check book?

Question

someone stole my check book...well not someone...my sister had her car repossed...i hid my checks in the car in case of an emergency i would have checks handy...my sister went up there today to get my checks and they weren't in there...when she asked for them back they said they're not giving her anything because she's behind 2 payments...i'm at work so won't be able to call the police until i get off

my question:

i can get my bank to cancel the checks but with the information that's on a check is there anyway they can do damage besides writting bad checks.

Answer 1

They could but I doubt they would.  The place that is storing her car is probably a tow company.  While it may seem that tow companies rip people off like the worst con artists, actually most are careful to stay within the law--they make their living taking advantage of and helping with enforcement of law.  

You can cancel the checks or get your account number changed if you feel the need, but I really don't see someone from the tow company writing checks on your account.  They are holding the stuff in her car so they can charge her for storing it.  Another reason they could have wanted the checks is that they believed they were your sister's checks.  Make sure you inform your bank in case there is a garnishment.  (The creditor should be careful and not do this, but tell the bank so you are covered.)  If they think this is your sister's account, they may seek to garnish money in the account to pay her car bill.  If your bank knows what is going on, they shouldn't let this happen (because it isn't your sister's account and you don't owe the money).

Answer 2

call the bank and tell them about it and give them the check numbers so they will not honor them

Answer 3

Your fastest method is to call someone at the company that is holding the car.  Explain to them that you are concerned not only about the possibility of bad checks, but about the privacy of your account information.  It is possible that you can get them to release your checkbook back to you.  They already have a bad relationship with your sister, but not with you.

If you get no results from the person you are speaking to, politely tell them that you understand their policy, and ask to speak to a manager to try to work out an exception.

If they still refuse to return it, then you should definitely contact your bank and report them lost.

Depending on the state, when a car is repossessed, the loan company may not have a legal right to retain personal property.

Remember, be polite at all times, and you are likely to get what you want.

Answer 4

Usually a bank will put a stop on the checks, but it only last for a certain period of time.  So if someone held on to your information long enough they may be able to use it to do some damage.  They can also put a block on check numbers 1002-1066 (whatever were the numbers on those checks), but with all the fraud today I would just close the account and open an entirely new one.  Or wait to you get off work and retrieve the book and make sure none of your checks are missing.  As long as any would be id thief doesn't have your social security number, they shouldn't be able to do any harm.

Answer 5

Most banks will advise you to close the account.  Putting a stop payment on the checks will cost you money(on each check stolen), and a stop is not forever (6 months).  Yes it is a hassle to close the account and open a new one, but it is the most cost effective way to protect yourself.

You can report it to the police, but since the car was not in your name it will be hard to prove that they were actually in the car.  All the tow company needs to do is claim they don't have them . . . so closing the account is the best option.

Answer 6

I work at a bank.....It will be ok I promise this stuff happens ALL the time!...all you have to do is go to the bank and put a STOP PAYMENT on all of the checks....if you know the numbers, if not you may have to just CLOSE the acct. you have, and then open a new one!

When the bad checks try to come thru they will just come back acct closed!!

No problem!

Answer 7

Contact your bank and tell them the situation.  They will most likely issue you a new account number and issue new checks.

The repo company is by law supposed to return any and all private property that is in the vehicle, ESPECIALLY financial items, i.e check books, credit cards.

You could file a complaint with your states attorney generals office and report the repo company or in case of stolen ID, sue them in court to collect damages due to their neglect.

Contact the repo company and inform them if they do not return your check book, you will have no choice but to report it stolen by them.  That should get them off their a$$.

Hope this answer is of help to you

LEGAL DISCLAIMER:  The answer provided  here is intended for informational purposes only.  It is not intended nor presumed to be legal counsel or professional legal advice.  

Answer 8

Close the account immediately (do it over the phone)--- putting stop payments on the check is only temporary because they only last for 6 months then the stop payment falls off!!!

I had an experience with this once and trust me it was a headache for 2 years and yes them having your checks can cause a problem even after you close your account --- so your first step is to contact the police and from my experience you have to go to the city where the incident happened and NOT where you live.  

The potential problem(s) that can occur IF whomever has your checkbook starts writing checks is that companies they are writing checks to can report you to Telecheck which is a company that most merchants use that keeps records of people that bounce checks Although you may not realize it whether you’re writing a check, using your ATM/debit card to pay for groceries, buying a book online, paying for dinner with your credit card or using a gift card to purchase something special, chances are your transaction is moved quickly and securely thru Telecheck ---- so in the future places you use checks may deny your check because of this.

To help you with this IF checks are bounced in your name and companies come after you need to file an "Affadavit of Forgery" with your bank and what this will do is tell the companies that this was fraud and that you are not liable --- it also helps if you have the case number from the police report IF you have file to show that it is legit and not a scam!!!  

I had to go to court for my incident because they caught the thief, but hopefully you wont have to take it that far

Good Luck and again what I have said is the worst case scenario but hope it doesn't lead to this point!

Email me if you need more help