Texas

Check Your Bank Account: Lake Kiowa Woman Says Check Drawn Was Not From Her

This time of year when many of us are looking at our bank accounts pretty frequently. One North Texas woman says she's glad she did, after a check drawn on her account was from a company she had never heard of.

"Pay to the order of 'DOA New Retail Inc' for $31.98," Janice Seefeldt read. "Then it says 'no signature required.' It's an actual check, has my bank's name on it and it's charged to 'Janice Seefeldt.'"

The mysterious check was drawn on her account, but the Lake Kiowa woman didn't write the check even though it says it's from her.

"I did not authorize that check. Never, never heard of that company," she said.

So she called the number on the check to try and figure out where it came from, but she says the company on the other end of the line sounded sketchy.

She was told the charge was for a purchase she made online.

"If it was something that I purchased online, why would you not question me about that purchase?" Seefeldt said.

She then asked more questions about the so-called purchase, but they couldn't tell her what website it was from or the company behind the site.

"OK, this is just another scam," Seefeldt said.

NBC 5 Responds even called the number ourselves but they told us they are just the billing service and claimed they had absolutely no information about DOA New Retail, the company they represent.

"Now, from what my bank told me, apparently this has been around for a while," Seefeldt said. "The bank led me to believe that if I had not done anything, then what they would do is write another check against our checking account and it would just be for a lot higher amount."

We contacted First State Bank to find out how this check managed to be deposited in her account, but they wouldn't comment about the situation.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency says banks are generally liable for reimbursing customers for forged checks.

We found the address for DOA New Retail from the Better Business Bureau, and we decided to follow up in person.

But when we showed up, that company was nowhere to be found.

And in Seefeldt's eyes, that helped confirm what she thought all along.

"I know with today's society, there's a lot of scams out there. So it's just a new scam and we just need to be more cautious," Seefeldt said.

Luckily, her bank was able to stop the payment, so she got her money back.

For you at home, this is something you need to watch out for, especially during the holiday season.

Here are Sam's Solutions:

  • Avoid problems by checking your bank account often, even a couple times a week. It's easier than ever to log on and make sure the charges you see are correct.
  • Also, if you see something suspicious, contact your bank immediately. In this woman's case, it saved her some money.
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