Westchester County District Attorney

In recent months, police in Yonkers, Mount Vernon, White Plains, Tarrytown, Harrison, Purchase, Bronxville, New Rochelle, North Castle and other communities have been investigating incidents where

The victims
All of us who use the U.S. Mail are victims. In some cases, residents were accused of not paying their bills on time when checks were stolen. Some have reported being victims of identity theft. Others who sent money orders, which work like cash, lost the stolen money and still owed their recipient with no way to recoup the payment. If you think you have been the victim of mail theft report it to your local police department and your local post office.

The outcome
Thieves take checks or financial documents with personal identifying information which can be used for identity theft and financial fraud. In some cases, checks are “washed,” meaning cleaned and erased of original information, and the “Payable to” or payable amount or both are changed. They are then cashed or fraudulently deposited in someone else’s account. Several arrests have been made.

Tips to protect yourself from mail theft

• Do not place checks in mailboxes. Use online payment instead.
• If you use a curbside mailbox, do not put mail in box after the last pickup time for the day.
• If your mail has not arrived at its destination, report it to your local police department and your local post office.
• Write checks with gel-style ink that cannot be erased or “washed” like ink from a standard ballpoint pen.
• Check your credit card and bank statements daily for any unusual activity.
• If you think you have been the victim of fraud, the Federal Trade Commission strongly suggests you set up a “Fraud Alert” with credit bureaus. Follow the FTC's instructions.

The Westchester County District Attorney’s Office will continue to work with local law enforcement and postal inspectors to both protect our residents from this kind of criminal activity and aggressively prosecute those involved.

Check washing is a disturbing trend that begins with mail being stolen for the purpose of obtaining personal and business checks. A person may become aware they have been a victim of check washing only after checking their balance and realizing more money is missing than they expect.

Check washing is an easy way for someone to turn "your" money into "their" money. It's the chemical erasing of the handwritten parts of the check you have written. Criminals remove the "payee" portion and the "amount". Your signature remains intact. They use solvents such as acetone, brake fluid and bleach. Once the check is "washed", the payee and/or the amount of the check can be altered. The thief often inflates the amount. $45 dollars becomes $645 dollars as an example.

Tips for minimizing your risk of check washing include:

• Never put outgoing bills in your house mail box. Avoid placing your mail in street mail boxes. In some cases thieves have targeted them. It's strongly recommended that you take your outgoing mail to your local post office.
• Minimize the number of checks you write. Your best option is to pay bills on line using a secure computer. This minimizes the possibility of your checks being stolen through the mailing process.
• When writing out checks, use a gel ink pen (preferably black) so the ink will permeate the fibers of the check. There are brands that advertise that they are non-erasable.
• Never leave blank spaces on the payee or amount lines. Write large and use XXs to fill in space.
• Shred cleared checks returned along with your bank statements.
• Review your bank statements immediately. You have a limited time frame in which to report fraudulent transactions. When fraud is detected, it is necessary to report it within 30 days (UCC Code 4-406).
• If possible, have your new checks delivered to your bank.

Investigate any of the following:

• A call from a bill collector for a payment you know you mailed.
• A check is declined by a merchant when you have not bounced any checks.
• A merchant notice about a bounced check you did not write.
• A notice from a check verification company regarding a problem of which you were not aware of.
• A call from your local bank branch informing you someone you don't know or they don't recognize is trying to cash your check.

In 2014, the Westchester County District Attorneys office created an Identity Theft Unit in response to an exploding number of ID theft, credit card fraud and check washing complaints. The unit vertically prosecutes and investigates this type of fraud.

If you suspect you are a victim of check washing, immediately report it to the police.

Domestic violence is not just a problem for adults. An alarming number of adolescents in this country have been and will become victims of physical, emotional or sexual abuse from a dating partner. This pattern of teen dating violence cuts across all ethnic groups, socio-economic groups and geographic regions. Both male and female teens can become victims but most of the time, boys inflict more serious physical injuries on girls.

The facts behind teen dating violence are disturbing:

• One in 10 high school students has been hit, slapped, or physically hurt by a boyfriend or girlfriend.
• Violent behavior often begins between the ages of 12 and 18.
• Girls and young women between the ages of 16 and 24 experience the highest rate of intimate partner violence, almost triple the national average.
• Half of youth who have been victims of both dating violence and rape attempt suicide.

Many teens do not report dating violence because they are afraid and ashamed to tell friends and family.

Teens as well as their parents should be proactive and ask these questions about their dating partners. Does the boyfriend or girlfriend:

• Have a history of bad relationships or past violence?
• Always blame their problems on other people including blaming you for making them treat you badly?
• Try to use drugs or alcohol to get you alone when you don't want to be?
• Try to control you by being bossy, not taking your opinion seriously, or making all of the decisions about who you see or what you wear?
• Engage in excessive sexual talk?
• Pressure you to have or force you to have unprotected sex?
• Engage in stalking, possessive or controlling behaviors that restrict your freedom of movement? Constantly text you or call you to find out where you are and who you're with?

In these instances, the most important thing a teen can do is get help. They should go to an adult they trust, including a teacher, school principal, counselor or work supervisor. If a crime has been committed they should seek out law enforcement so they can get the protections only a court can provide. Parents need to understand that abusers exert power over their victims and it may be hard for your teen to end the relationship. If your teen has confided in you, be comforting and supportive. Tell your teen you’re concerned about their safety and discuss with them how he/she can stay safe. Safety plans must be developed that include knowing in advance what to do, where to get help, who to call and how to escape danger.

Destructive relationships during the teen years can lead to lifelong unhealthy relationship practices, may disrupt normal development and can contribute to unhealthy behaviors in teens that can lead to chronic mental and physical conditions in adulthood. Teens that are physically hurt by a dating partner were more likely to say they engage in risky sexual behavior, binge drink, use drugs, attempt suicide and participate in physical fights.

This problem requires a multi-prong response to include mental health professionals, schools and law enforcement. Assistant District Attorneys regularly visit high schools to discuss the problem of teen violence. Our Special Prosecutions Division handles domestic abuse cases including those having to do with teen dating violence. Their phone number is (914) 995-3000.

For teens that need immediate help, Hope’s Door is an organization in Westchester that has a 24 hour Hotline for those that need to talk about dating violence. That number is (888) 438-8700. There is also Breakthecycle.org, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering youth to end dating violence.

You may also contact One Love, which is an organization dedicated to raising awareness and conducting education about warning signs of abuse and relationship violence or PEACE OUTside Campus, which helps teens and families to be proactive about safety and healthy relationships on college campuses.

The cycle of abuse among our young people must be broken and the Westchester County District Attorney’s office is committed to that effort.

Financial elder abuse is on the rise and tragically the elderly are often taken advantage of by the very people hired to care for them. We're talking about in-home health care aids. While most are dedicated to helping their clients, some are using these jobs to help themselves to cash, jewelry and anything else they can steal.

Home health care aides are often hired to take care of general house cleaning, shopping, meal preparation and assistance with personal hygiene. These services are intended to help older adults remain in the home. Care givers can be hired through a licensed agency or informally, through word of mouth or advertisements in local newspapers. There are important differences between these ways of hiring a home health aide.

In New York, agencies that provide home health aides must be licensed and insured. They provide training for their employees and must conduct criminal background checks. Informal sources for home health aides such as newspaper advertisements or acquaintances are subject to no such requirements or protections.

Thefts by dishonest home health aides often begin with cash or jewelry in the home. In extreme cases, dishonest aides have emptied victims' bank accounts by using ATM cards or by forging checks. An elderly victim may not be aware of the thefts and, even when victims become aware, they may be too fearful or embarrassed to let anyone know.

Here are some tips that can help prevent older Westchester residents from becoming victims of these crimes:

• Hire a home health aide through a reputable licensed agency.
• If you do hire a home health aide from a private source, don't rely on an advertisement or word of mouth. Check the aide's work history and personal references thoroughly and carefully.
• Don't involve a home health aide in banking or financial tasks such as withdrawals from ATM's. Don't share PINS's and passwords with an aide, and don't write them in accessible locations such as on the cards themselves.
• If an elderly person needs help managing finances, set up a system with checks and balances. Consider asking two trusted friends or family members to assist with banking and bills so that they can serve as a check on each other, and can help oversee access to cash and valuables in the home.
• Review all bank and credit card statements regularly to check for fraudulent withdrawals or charges, and don't hesitate to raise questions about any unexplained items.
• Keep valuables, checkbooks, cash and credit, debit and ATM cards in a secure, locked drawer or cabinet.
• Keep a photographic inventory of rare, valuable or sentimental items in a separate location. In the event these are stolen, the photos will be useful in seeking to recover the items.

Family members, friends and neighbors of the elderly should always be alert to any signs that an aide is isolating an elderly person or assuming inappropriate roles such as managing finances. The best course is to report any concerns or suspicions to the caregiver agency, adult protective services or to the police. Most home health aides are honest, hardworking and committed to helping their clients, but it is important to be aware that there are criminals who use these jobs as opportunities to commit crimes.