A Northern California couple lost nearly $18,000 due to a scam involving counterfeit checks and unauthorized online payments. They discovered the fraud when their ATM balance was unexpectedly low. Their bank records revealed three fraudulent checks totaling over $6,500 and seventeen unauthorized electronic transactions amounting to about $11,400. Many of these electronic payments were directed to accounts at companies like Verizon, Capital One, and Wells Fargo. The couple immediately reported the fraud to Chase and closed their compromised account. Chase promptly reimbursed them for the counterfeit checks. However, recovering the money from the electronic payments proved challenging, with the bank initially requiring proof of non-ownership of recipient accounts. After filing a sheriff's report, their claim was denied due to insufficient evidence. A consumer advocacy news team intervened, contacting Chase on their behalf. Following this intervention, Chase re-examined the case and refunded the remaining disputed funds. The couple suspects the breach occurred when ordering checks from a third-party company that required mailing a voided check, potentially exposing their account and routing numbers. This incident underscores the vulnerability of banking information present on paper checks.