Ask Amy: Missing stimulus checks, mail theft update

This week we have a question about what to do if you think you are missing a stimulus check. Plus - viewer reaction about a stolen check mess.

Stolen mail update

A lot of you saw our KPRC 2 Investigates story about a man who had his check stolen and cashed for a much larger amount. He thinks the check was stolen in the mail. Many of you are writing to us with similar stories, saying it’s not easy to get banks to pay back the money stolen with a bad check.

Question: Why isn’t the post office held responsible for stolen mail?

Answer: Besides contacting the police, you should report any suspected theft to the postal service. There is a government postal inspection service that tracks mail theft. Often it’s an inside job.

From October 2020 to September 2021, there were more than 1472 internal investigations related to mail theft, and of those, so far about 909 arrests and indictments. In some cases, the victims were able to get their money back. Keep in mind, these are the cases that deal with people who work for the postal service. So, to answer the question, yes the postal service does work to hold people accountable for stolen mail. Police departments also investigate all cases of stolen mail.

The post office says if you need to mail a check, you can send it certified registered mail - or put it in a dropbox close to collection time.

Missing stimulus payment concerns

Question: Why haven’t I gotten my third economic stimulus check? -Joshua

Answer: Not everyone got all of the checks. The Internal Revenue Service says they have issued all first, second, and third stimulus checks.

Through the end of March, the IRS is mailing letters to everyone with the total amount of stimulus received and any additional payments you might be able to add as a credit on your tax return.

You can make a claim if you think you missed a payment. You can also see your history and ask questions about your payments. Here’s additional information on what to do if the payment was sent to the wrong address.

If you have a question you’d like our team to answer or have a story idea for Amy, send it to askamy@kprc.com.