A rent check from Joe’s Record Paradise was stolen from a Georgia Ave. mailbox and later cashed for a much larger amount, according to a WTOP report.
The check was altered and later cashed for $9,000 — much higher than the original amount, WTOP reports. Joe’s Record Paradise owner Johnson Lee was notified by his landlord that they didn’t receive last month’s rent payment. Lee went to Truist Bank, where he discovered the altered check while checking account statements.
”Our rent is $3,000,” Lee said to WTOP. “What they did was they crossed out the name, the line that spells out the number and the number itself, and changed it to $9,000. They did a digital deposit, so they didn’t have to go into the bank itself.”
Lee has contacted Truist, which has opened a fraud investigation; Montgomery County Police took a report Wednesday afternoon.
If you suspect your mail has been stolen, you can contact the US Postal Inspection Service at (877) 876-2455, or file a report online.
Joe’s Record Paradise moved to its current home at 8700 Georgia Ave. in 2016; Astrolab Brewing opened at Joe’s former location at 8216 Georgia Ave. in 2018.
Photo: Joe’s Record Paradise / Facebook