Clarksville police are asking for help identifying a man shown in surveillance images after a mailed bill payment was allegedly intercepted, altered, and cashed the next day.
The victim mailed the check as a bill payment on May 6, according to Clarksville Now, which cited Clarksville Police Department spokesperson Scott Beaubien.
Police said the check was intercepted, altered, and fraudulently cashed on May 7. The victim reported the incident on May 27.
The name “Daniel Lee Kirby” was listed as the payee on the altered check, according to FOX 17. Police have not said that is the suspect’s verified identity.
Police Released Surveillance Images From The Financial Institution
Detectives with the Clarksville Police Department’s District 2 Criminal Investigations Unit obtained surveillance footage from the financial institution where the check was cashed.
Clarksville Now reported that the man who cashed the check identified himself as “Daniel Lee Kirby,” the same name listed as the payee on the altered check.
WSMV reported that the surveillance images show a man with a long, light-colored beard wearing a black button-down shirt, a black zip-up sweatshirt, and a red baseball hat.
Police are asking anyone who recognizes the man to contact Detective Alquzweeni at 931-648-0656, ext. 5366. Anonymous tips can be submitted through Clarksville Montgomery County Crime Stoppers at 931-645-8477 or through P3tips.com/591. The check was mailed May 6 and cashed May 7.
Bank Images Can Catch The Problem Before The Bill Goes Unpaid
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service says checks should be dropped inside a post office or into a blue collection box before the final pickup time, not left sitting in a mailbox overnight. It also advises people to retrieve mail frequently and place vacation holds when they will be away.
After a mailed bill payment clears, the bank image should still be checked for the payee, amount, and endorsement. That step matters because the check can leave the account even if the utility, lender, landlord, contractor, or other biller never receives the payment.
If the payee or amount has changed, the bank and the biller should be contacted immediately. Suspected mail theft can also be reported to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service at 1-877-876-2455 or through its online reporting system.
In the Clarksville case, police said the check was cashed one day after it was mailed. By the time the victim reported it on May 27, detectives were working from bank surveillance footage and the name written onto the altered payment.