NORRIDGE, Sick. (CBS) — A suburban mother stated a test she despatched was stuffed with crimson flags exhibiting it had been stolen and doctored when it made it to the financial institution – somebody had gone in manually and adjusted letters and numbers, and even whited out the pay-to line and written one thing else.
Nonetheless, as CBS 2’s Jermont Terry reported Tuesday night time, the Norridge mother stated the thief efficiently cashed her mortgage test – and all of it left her in a horrible bind. Now, she, Norridge police, and the financial institution are all attempting to determine how the test received intercepted after she dropped in a mailbox.
READ MORE: James Massey Pleads Responsible To Inciting Rioting, Encouraging Downtown Looting In Social Media Posts In August 2020
We met Brook Heyden as she sat on the desk serving to her children play a phrase search sport that had her son stumped as he seemed for phrases like “prizes” and “sport.” Heyden herself is stumped by one thing else – one thing sinister in nature that as removed from a sport as might be.
The only mom desires to search out greater than $4,000 that she says was stolen from her checking account.
“I type of really feel violated, like somebody went into my private house and took my cash,” Heyden stated.
She first knew there was an issue when her mortgage firm reached out.
“First, the mortgage firm was stalking me – questioning the place my cost was – and I stored saying, ‘I already mailed you this test,’ and I stated, ‘Let me test my checking account to see if the test cleared,’” Heyden stated.
When she checked her Chase account, she realized the test cleared for far more than what she says it was written for.
(Provided by Brooke Heyden)
“I couldn’t imagine my eyes, as a result of the test was written for $1,000 – and so they modified it to $4,000,” Heyden stated, “and I’ve by no means written a test for that giant sum of cash.”
READ MORE: Girl Discovered Apparently Overwhelmed To Demise In Boyfriend’s Lindenhurst Dwelling; Boyfriend Was Killed In Automotive Crash Elsewhere
When Heyden received a duplicate of the test, she observed that somebody not solely went in by hand and adjusted the numeral 1 in $1,000 to a numeral 4 to make it $4,000, but additionally tried to vary the handwritten letters the place the greenback quantity have to be written out from ‘O-N-E’ to ‘F-O-U-R’ – in Heyden herself didn’t discover convincing in any respect.
“It clearly says ‘one thousand’ in precise written greenback quantity,” Heyden stated.
And the largest crimson flag, Heyden stated, is that somebody modified the “pay to the order of” title to what seems to be “Bria Martin.”
“I believed, ‘Wow, OK, that doesn’t say ‘AmeriSav Mortgage,’” she stated. “It’s clear that somebody whited out the unique pay-to title.”
It isn’t clear the place the fraud occurred, however we all know she positioned the test in a mailbox on Montrose Avenue in Norridge. But after going to her Chase Financial institution, Heyden stated the supervisor advised her:
“She contacted their fraud division and stated that there was nothing they might do. I needed to wait by the investigation.”
Heyden stated she was advised the investigation may take a minimal of 30 days – however as much as 90 days earlier than getting her a reimbursement.
“I work actually arduous, and go to highschool at night time, to attempt to higher myself for my children as a single mother – to have the ability to present for them,” she stated.
MORE NEWS: Chicago First Alert Climate: Winter Storm Watch Begins Wednesday Evening
Chase advised us Tuesday night time that it’s conscious of Heyden’s grievance, and has launched an investigation. The financial institution stated it’s working rapidly to resolve the difficulty, btu a spokesperson couldn’t say simply how lengthy that may take.
