MILWAUKEE — Katrina Moore of Milwaukee told TMJ4 News she has been trying to get her financial aid refund check for about $1,800 from her Empire Beauty School since this past spring. Moore reached out to TMJ4 News' Call 4 Action office for help.
"It's very frustrating. I never thought I would be going through this, this long," More told TMJ4 News.
"They sent me the copy of the check with this lady's signature on it and I said this is not my signature. I did not sign this check," she said.
So who did? According to police records, it all started when the check was sent to Moore's old Milwaukee address.
"The person who stayed at that address I guess got a hold of a person in Madison with the same name as me," she explained.
So Moore filed a police report in Madison. An officer investigated. According to the report, that other woman with the same name told police "she had been contacted via Facebook by a female subject and that woman in Milwaukee 'began to forward junk mail'...' to her in Madison, then in April the woman then told her that she had a check..."
The police report says the Milwaukee woman's husband drove to Madison to hand-deliver it. He told her, "he was a pastor" and he...."took her to cash the check..."
According to police, the Madison woman told the officer "...she had been hearing things about stimulus checks being issued so she assumed this was hers."
The $1,800 check has from "EEG inc." printed on the front of it -- which operates Empire Beauty Schools. The back of it the check has a Madison phone number which TMJ4 called but the call didn't go through.
TMJ4 News called other numbers and emails linked to the woman in Madison, but we were not able to get a hold of her.
No charges were ever filed in the case. When TMJ4 News asked Madison police why -- this was the department's response: "After investigation of this particular incident and the totality of the circumstances, the reporting officer could not prove criminal intent and did not recommend any charges to the District Attorney's office."
"The police never got in touch with me again," Moore said.
"Do you have any anger toward that person?" TMJ4 News asked Moore.
"Not really. I just wish she would have done the right thing and just sent my check back in the mail," Moore continued.
The police report said the Madison woman cried when the officer told her Moore needed the money for her tuition. The Madison woman told police the money was spent but she wanted to pay Moore back.
Moore hasn't received a dime. TMJ4 News has reached out to her school -- asking if they will issue another check. We're waiting to hear back.
