Tampa woman with stolen check receives refund, help after being out thousands of dollars

TAMPA, Fla. - A Tampa woman was out thousands of dollars after she said a check that was supposed to go to her child's school was stolen from a USPS blue mailbox. Now, she said she has gotten her money back.

The backstory:

Abigail Reynolds mailed a $1,000 check in a blue USPS mailbox that was meant to go to her child's school. However, it was stolen, and she said someone used it to commit fraud, writing a check for $4,500. 

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Reynolds obtained a copy of the cashed check from her bank, USAA, and said the date was typed onto the check, her checks do not say memo at the bottom and the spacing was off. She then learned this check was cashed at Florida Central Credit Union, and it overdrafted her account, causing a major headache.

Reynolds said she went to the credit union where the check was cashed and learned who did it, obtained a copy of the cashed check and brought all of this to police.

Dig deeper:

The Tampa Police Department is now looking into this issue for Reynolds. 

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Meanwhile, USAA also refunded the money to her Thursday evening. A representative with the banks also shared the following statement with FOX 13: 

"As part of our promise to take care of our own, USAA strives to examine all details in a case and bring a quick resolution where possible, which is what we delivered for our member here."

Florida Central Credit Union, the institution that accepted the check, said it refunded the money to USAA and that they are cooperating with TPD's investigation. 

The United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General did say it was unable to comment on the matter, but a representative shared the following statement with FOX 13: 

"The US Postal Inspection Service is the law enforcement agency of the USPS who investigates mail related crimes, such as mail theft and mail fraud.  The USPS delivers billions of pieces of mail a year and US Postal Inspectors are tasked with safeguarding it.  Everyday the USPS delivers millions of checks, money orders, credit cards, and other merchandise.  All of which, are attractive to criminals.  With USPS delivering to over 163 million addresses, Postal Inspectors cannot do the job alone.  Criminals are constantly adapting and evolving to find newer ways to commit mail related crimes. The US Postal Inspection Service remains vigilant in continuing to adapt and evolve to defend the newest criminal tactics.  USPS customers can also take proactive measures to protect their mail.  When utilizing a USPS blue collection box, we recommend looking at the collection times located on the box.  If you have missed the last collection time for the day, maybe hand your outgoing mail to your letter carrier or mail it inside the Post Office.  Criminals tend to work after dark.  Don’t let your mail sit overnight in a USPS blue collection box or even in your residential mailbox.  If you see someone suspicious lurking near a USPS blue collection box after dark, call the police immediately, then report it to the US Postal Inspection Service at 877-876-2455.  If you believe your mail was stolen, report it immediately online at www.uspis.gov/report or by calling 877-876-2455."