[chicken]

I have just found out I am the victim of mail fraud. The way it works is that your bank sends a new chequebook to you. It gets intercepted by someone in the post office system but you don't know because you didn't actually request a new chequebook (they get sent out periodically by the banks).

The thief then sits on the blank chequebook for a few months before buying mail order goods and services with the cheques. The sellers are happy to send the items because the cheques do get cleared (as long as there are funds in your account).

The only reason I realised I had been had was that I happened to check my statement this month (which I don't normally do). I asked my wife whether she had written such a large cheque and she said she had a vague memory that she had but I had already ordered a copy of the cheque from the bank.

When it arrived, she was shocked to see that the handwriting and signature was not even close to hers. She was livid and wanted to prosecute the b@stard that did this but the bank said that this is very very common and it is very rare that they catch the crooks.

Fortunately we will get the money back (about £900 in all) but they money could so easily have gone down the drain.

And before you ask, Yes I would miss a thousand pounds but I am so disorganised financially that I wouldn't know.