Money orders refunded after being stolen from a street-side mailbox nearly a year ago in North Texas

After having his money orders stolen from the mailbox, a North Texas man reaches out to NBC 5 Responds for help to get his money back.

Simmie Lowery, Jr. of Fort Worth mailed money orders for his mortgage payment in a street-side mailbox back in October 2022. The next month, he received notice from his mortgage company saying payment wasn't received.

Lowery immediately contacted Western Union, where he'd purchased the money orders, to find out what happened. It was discovered that the money orders were stolen from the mailbox, forged, and cashed.

Lowery says he followed the procedure to retrieve the funds four times but got nowhere, so, he contacted NBC 5 Responds for help.

We contacted Western Union and Lowery was soon refunded the full amount of the money orders and for the fees he paid filing his fraud claims which together totaled over twelve hundred dollars.

In a statement, Western Union says, in part, the company "...vigorously condemns criminal activities and we devote significant resources to help detect and deter the misuse of our services."

When it comes to mailing payments, Lowery now says, " I will not send them via the mail where my money order was stolen out of a street-side mailbox in front of the post office."

The US Postal Inspection Service suggests, "...handing the mail directly to a letter carrier or visiting your local post office to deposit it there."

Western Union and the US Postal Inspection Service have ways for you to file a fraud complaint should this happen to you or if you have questions or concerns.

You can contact the US Postal Inspection Service about inspectors, prevention and scam alerts online or by calling 877-876-2455.

Western Union offers tips on fraud awareness and education on their website. You can also contact their Fraud Hotline at 800-448-1492 or file a complaint online. They also give a list of third party resources to assist, including contacting local authorities.

NBC 5 Responds is committed to researching your concerns and recovering your money. Our goal is to get you answers and, if possible, solutions and a resolution. Call us at 844-5RESPND (844-573-7763) or fill out our customer complaint form.