A great-grandmother is fighting back after banks refused to refund her family money that was stolen from them, NBC Chicago’s Lexi Sutter reports.
At 80 years old, Judy Schuler is a fighter.
The great-grandmother’s life is focused on taking care of her family in Naperville, including her adult daughter who was diagnosed with ALS and her granddaughter.
Schuler moved the two from Carlsbad, California, to Naperville last year so they could be closer to home for care.
And the move was not easy.
Schuler believes the moving company she hired, “All US Moving Inc.” based out of California, was responsible for thousands of dollars withdrawn from her account after the check she used to pay for the moving services was altered and cashed, twice.
“They didn't destroy the check after they deposited it, like you're supposed to,” Schuler said.
Schuler said she paid her moving expenses in full back in June 2022 with a check written out to the company for more than $4,400. The owner of “All US Moving Inc.” told her to make the check out to a different name: “Supreme Moving & Storage, LLC.”
Then, on Aug. 31, 2022, Schuler said she noticed her checking account was overdrawn and discovered the check had been cashed a second time.
But on this occasion, the “Pay To The Order Of” section was changed from “Supreme Moving & Storage” to an illegible name beginning with “Joseph.”
The additional thousands of dollars withdrawn from her account were earmarked for her daughter’s medical expenses, and Schuler said she wasn’t about to back down until she had the money back in her account.
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly> Chicago Catch-Up newsletter.
“That money buys me about four months of nursing care for her, which helps,” Schuler explained. “It gives me relief that I need.”
It’s unclear if the person who altered and cashed the check was connected to the moving company, but Schuler says she has her suspicions. She said “All US Moving Inc.” wouldn’t respond to her calls after she discovered the error.
NBC 5 found “All US Moving Inc.” has faced dozens of consumer complaints over the years, and its license to operate under the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) was revoked last year, according to the FMCSA’s website.
Records filed with the California Secretary of State’s office show the business license for “All US Moving Inc” was terminated in December 2022.
The moving company did not respond to NBC 5’s calls or text messages for comment.
Schuler said once she discovered the second withdrawal, she immediately reported it to her bank, Chase, explaining that someone had clearly made alterations to her original check and cashed it at a separate bank, months after she used it to pay off her moving expenses.
Schuler said she hoped Chase would have her back and hear her out. And at first, Schuler thought Chase was helping her.
“[A Chase representative] said. ‘Okay, I'll check into it. You should be able to get your money back in three or four days,’” Schuler said, adding that the representative acknowledged that the check cashed for the second time “was fraudulent.”
But days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months with no answers.
Schuler said, “I went back almost every week, either calling them or talking to somebody. Nothing.”
Then, five months after filing her claim for the fraudulent withdrawal, Schuler said Chase abruptly closed her case. In a letter, the bank said another bank was responsible for issuing her refund – the bank that had cashed her check the second time around, Wells Fargo. The letter said that Wells Fargo was not responding to the claim filed by Chase.
So, Schuler said her family went to Wells Fargo, and there, they were met with more fingers pointing back at Chase.
Exhausted, Schuler turned to NBC 5 Responds for help, and in a matter of days, the money was back in her account.
“We got the money,” Schuler said. “And I know it was NBC 5 Responds that did it.”
Even in their conversations with NBC 5, Chase and Wells Fargo were still pointing fingers at one another.
A spokesperson for Wells Fargo said Chase never informed it or filed a claim about [Judy’s] issue until NBC 5 got involved.
Through a spokesperson, Chase said that was not true, and that it had filed a claim months after Schuler first walked into their office to inform them of the fraudulent withdrawal.
In her eyes, Schuler says neither bank was there for her, and she worries for others out there, dealing with the same kind of situation, who may not have the fight left in them.
“We're better off because we got each other, my daughter and I,” Schuler said. “But there's people out there, my age, that have nobody and they're scamming them.”
Consumer complaints with banks can be tricky, but there are some resources available to help.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) addresses complaints centered on financial institutions, and often will act as a mediator for consumers dealing with a conflict. To learn more about filing a complaint with the CFPB, click here.
