A check stolen out of the mailbox, tampered with and re-issued — the victim out hundreds of dollars before realizing what happened.
It happened last week in South Euclid, where police just arrested a woman, Tomika Pippen, in connection to the crime.
Pippen has been charged with forgery, a felony.
"Out of an $11 check they made $891 dollars," the victim, who did not want to be identified, told News 5. "I almost felt violated or something like someone came into my house and took something."
He said he's still uncomfortable with happened to him.
"I woke up to a text from my bank saying my account was low, I knew it wasn't," he said.
Police obtained images from Dollar Bank of the doctored check, originally meant for the Plain Dealer. Surveillance video showed Pippen in the bank cashing the check.
"Just makes me angry," the victim said.
Police are still investigating to determine if others were affected.
"If there are similar offenses to this, she will be charged and prosecuted," Public Information Officer Joe DiLillo told News 5.
Officer DiLillo told us, luckily, since police connected the dots and charged Pippen, that man was able to get his money back.
But he called it a lesson for everyone.
"Use good judgment," he said. "If you're simply sending a card or something like that, use your discretion. But if it's something that contains a check, certainly one that can be manipulated take it to a post office or a secured mailbox, take that extra step."
He also suggested checking your accounts frequently, so a random charge is reported immediately.
