
Check Washing Scam Steals Thousands From Rhode Island Couple
From The Perfect Scam by AARP
March 20, 2026 · 52 min · Episode 250
About this episode
Richy and Terri's check is stolen and fraudulently cashed, leading them on a quest to recover their lost money.
Richy and Terri send a check to their son and daughter-in-law for their anniversary, but it never arrives. After a tough year of medical issues and the death of a close friend, they open a bank statement to see that their account is $10,000 short. They learn that a criminal has stolen their check from the mail, "washed" it, and fraudulently cashed it for big bucks. This sends the couple on a monthslong quest to try to get their money back.
Topics covered
- check washing
- fraud
- financial crime
- scams
- personal finance
Keywords
- check washing
- scam
- fraud
- Rhode Island
- financial loss
- bank statement
- criminal activity
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: AARP
Places: Rhode Island
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