CHICAGO (CBS) -- A U.S. Army veteran from the South Side said he deposited a check at the post office, only to find out later it had been tampered with.
You are now almost $5,000 short and your bank has not refunded your account. So he reached out to CBS 2's Tim McNicholas, who has been investigating this type of check fraud for a year.
From his time in the military to being named Veteran of the Year by the Canaryville Veterans Association, Mickey Brown has met many people.
But he never met anyone named Layniece Spencer. Imagine Mickey and his wife Susan's surprise when they lost $5,000 on a check made out in their name.
"Obviously it was a scam," he said. "Now I live off my savings account. I haven't recovered yet, so I'm losing money every day. Because we get Social Security, and that's a headache."
"It's the money from our bill and it's gone," his wife Susan said.
Brown said he deposited a check with that post office at 41st and Halsted Street in early June, but the check was for only $230 and made out to People's Gas. Turns out someone later changed the dollar amount and the recipient's name.
How did you feel about this?
"Hurt, foiled, ripped off," Mickey said.
A spokeswoman for Councilwoman Nicole Lee, 11, confirmed that her office had recently received similar complaints from some other constituents. It's called check laundering, and it's a crime that we've been investigating throughout the Chicago area for a year.
Last fall , CBS 2 uncovered dozens of victims in the northern suburbs worth thousands of dollars.
The United States Postal Service even has a website with check laundering warnings and tips like: Deliver your mail before the final pickup.
However, the crimes continue to happen.
"I feel like a victim and I'm fed up," Susan said.
More than two months later, the Browns say they are still fighting Fifth Third Bank and trying to get the money back.
"We've waited a long time and I want to pay my bills," said Susan Brown.
USPS and Fifth Third Bank said they would investigate.
Tim has heard from at least two other victims. If you think you've been scammed, Tim wants to hear from you. You can email him at tjmcnicholas@viacomcbs.com .
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