What would Scarlett O’Hara say?

/ The Coastal Crone

PROPERTY TAXES AND THE UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE

Husband and I thought our property taxes for Briar Cottage (our name for our modest home for almost 46 years) were paid in full for another year and paid early.   Husband dropped the check at the local post office on December 1.

In early June we received a letter informing us that  on July 1  our taxes would be delinquent and penalties  would go to the highest rate.

What! The check cleared our bank December 2. Just an accounting error, I said.
No, the check was apparently stolen at the post office and cashed the next day.  San Patricio County never received the check.  Our taxes were delinquent!

To keep this brief, we had to file a report with the police; get a form completed, signed  by the tax assessor/collector, then notorized; take it to our bank and fill out another form for the bank and contact the USPS.  Our bank was able to tell us that it had been cashed the next day at a local credit union. The police hinted that there may have been other mail thefts around that time.

Thankfully, all late and delinquent penalties were dropped by the tax assessor/collector. Husband wrote another check and took it in person to the county office and got a receipt. The bank told us we should get our money back, but it is not clear how we will be reimbursed or when. We are just grateful that we had money to pay our taxes twice.

We seldom write checks and pay most bills online. If we do have a check to mail, we take it to the post office instead of leaving it in our mailbox for the postman to pick up. Now we will be even more careful.

Carpetbaggers come in different forms!

34 thoughts on “What would Scarlett O’Hara say?”

  1. I have read a number of articles of late about the increased theft of checks in the mail. I am glad yours was resolved adequately. I don’t know what Scarlett would have said, but I have said plenty about how politicians have destroyed the mail service. Grifters are everywhere any more.

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    • I agree! And the rates keep going up. Postal service is not what it used to be. And people don’t write letters and send cards the way we used to. It is all texting. And some of the younger people don’t even have checks. Take care and watch for grifters!

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      • That is their plan–to drive it into the ground so they can privatize it. I know that sounds like a conspiracy theory, but I have researched it well and there is a lot of legislation and under the table work to make it happen. They are selling valuable postal service real estate for far less than it is worth so someone can take a historic building and turn it into a hotel or some other property to make money. I documented cases of it in Mississippi and other places. Congress created this mess by requiring USPS to have enough money to fund in advance employ benefits 50 years in advance. This issue did not exist until they created it. But I will get off my soap box now because my rant won’t fix the issue.

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    • I have paid more attention to news about mail theft after this and was surprised to find that mail carriers were getting attacked walking their routes. In our neighborhood they drive. It is good that we have direct deposits for most transactions. But I worry too if I am getting a check sent via mail.

      We would have fought penalties, but the tax collector was easy to work with and would have given us more time to pay if we had needed it.

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  3. I read a few months ago that people should walk into the post office to mail something – it isn’t always safe to put it in the mailbox in front of the post office! Also, the article said to write the check with a type of ink that can’t be washed off because it sinks right into the paper.

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  4. No, mailboxes aren’t always safe either, even those in front of the PO. That’s why Husband took this one inside. I had not heard about a special ink but it makes sense. Thanks for adding your voice – we all count on the postal system. Not everyone is online.

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  6. How awful! Thank goodness you were able to straighten it out with the tax office! I hope the bank reimburses you quickly.
    Have the police found out how a check made out to a tax office was cashed at a credit union?? Was their CCTV working? Didn’t the credit union report the transaction as being suspicious? Or was someone at the credit union in on the scam? Yes, I know; I watch too many crime dramas. 🙂
    Scamming is rampant in everything concerning money these days. I check everything having to do with finances on a regular basis so I take action immediately when these situations occur.

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    • No details from the police yet but I am hoping the detective will let us know; we have a case number. Portland is a small town and the post office is small. I think the person who cashed it knew the person at the credit union. It should never have gotten by a competent teller.

      The tax assessor’s name was signed -forged – the county just stamps checks with county name and “for deposit only.” Then a woman’s name was signed. Maybe she split the money with the teller.

      We are super careful these days online and about anything involving money scams. Husband handles online security for us. Maybe I will do a short post if we ever find out what happens. You stay vigilant! Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

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    • We had not planned on paying our property taxes again the same month we paid our expensive windstorm insurance. Oh, well, I was grateful we had the money and the time to get it sorted out. Maybe we will get the money back by the end of the year to pay our taxes for next year!

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  8. I’m so sorry you had to go through this. I used to drop things in the outside box at my post office, but they’ve removed those boxes all around the area because of theft. Now, I go inside, and time my few mail drops to take place right before their pickup time. I have a few customers who live out of town, and when the mail payment for an invoice, we always check with one another to know when it was sent and when it arrives.

    Apart from theft, sheer incompetence (or whatever) is an increasing issue. One customer had a payment service send a check from a Chicago institution, and we were sure it was lost. It never was cashed; he just stopped payment after a month and reissued the check. Finally, the original showed up — three months later!

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    • We all rely on the postal system in some way and most of the time the mail goes through. I can think of only one check that was lost in the mail and we just stopped payment. Yes, it is a good idea to let someone know if a check is coming their way. I never thought about timing a drop-off near pick-up time.

      Oh, well, the check’s in the mail!

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    • Funny, I thought the same thing. Maybe they needed it for Christmas money. And I tried to imagine what would motivate someone or more than one to take such a chance. Or was it to pay rent? Food? Medical bills? Or was it just a common thief who did not care that he/she stole money? And what if we hadn’t had money to pay taxes again?

      There is probably a story in there somewhere. I hope we at least find out the details. Thanks for stopping by!

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      • When we’ve had things stolen, it’s usually gone to buy drugs. On second thought, maybe Christmas is too innocent a motive. Yes, please keep us updated on what you discover!

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  10. Cheques are no longer used here. And post offices are a thing of the past. The one in our village closed recently because the guy who owned it, and who had been running it for more than 25 years, couldn’t find a buyer approved of by NZ Post. So now I have to drive 10 km to the nearest post office. Mostly, though, postal services are run as part of another business, such as a bookstore And while we used to have postal delivery every day it’s now down to every second day.

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    • New Zealand is very progressive, it seems. Here I know many younger people don’t have checks, my daughter for one. They bank online and deposit checks and send money via their phones. I pay bills online and have direct deposit but I still want to be able to write a check. Old-school, I know.

      Interesting that a post office would be in a business like a bookstore. But then way back in rural areas they were often in a grocery store. I still write letters and send cards. Thanks for sharing how New Zealand handles checks and postal service. Sorry you have to drive further. Take care. Hope all is well with you.

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  11. I really don’t know how older people manage. I have a 95-year-old friend who doesn’t have the Internet and so can’t pay her bills online. She does have a very helpful grandson who lives close by and so I suspect this is how she pays her bills. I must ask her the next time I see her.

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  12. So sorry you had to go through the turmoil of this theft… Thank goodness your bank was able to sort and verify you had ‘tried’ to send and this matter was sorted… So many thieves about who care little for the suffering of others they cause …
    Hugs your way Jo.. x 💖

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    • Yes, we were grateful we could prove we had sent the check. All parties, especially the tax assessor/collector (female!), were cooperative and helpful. It could have been worse. We were fortunate that we had the money to pay taxes again and are prepared for next year even if we don’t get reimbursed by then. Sending hugs back to you in the spirit of peace!

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  13. I hate that there is no safe way to pay our bills anymore. If we pay online, we get hacked. If we send our checks, they get stolen. And forget cash, we’re moving to a “cashless society,” where all our money will be vulnerable. When did it come to this, and why? No wonder people are so cranky these days!

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    • So true! We bank online but have to trust that it is safe. Then there is identify thief and credit card fraud. I like a little cash in my wallet – mad money – but many events don’t take cash. But I like carrying a credit card too. It is a brave new world to this old crone! I will try to be thankful for what assets I have and try not to be so cranky even with the heat. Journey mercies for your cruise! (Be careful!)

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  17. SHIP! Notice the spelling error!
    I take my checks to the post office.
    On line… post office… in person….. thieves are everywhere, and hey, they don’t just steal money. They steal entire identities.

    Ahh, the good ol’ days when bank robberies were all the rage! (sarcastic, of course!)

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    • Yes, thieves are everywhere when money is involved. Having one’s identity stolen would really be a nightmare to unravel. And scammers are out there too. Not only did banks get robbed, stage coaches got held up too. The good ol’ days! Thieves adapt with the times and become inventive. Take care and be careful on your way to the post office!

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