Insurance sent my settlement check and it vanished — now they're ghosting me??
I don't even know where to start with this. Back in the spring I was rear-ended pretty badly at a red light. Other driver took off. My car was declared a total loss and after weeks of back-and-forth my insurer finally said they were mailing a check for the vehicle payout.
That check never arrived. I waited, called, waited some more. Eventually they looked into it and confirmed the check had already been cashed — by someone who is definitely not me. Like, the signature on the back isn't even close to mine.
They told me their special investigations unit was looking into it and that I'd hear something within a few weeks. That was almost four months ago. Every time I call I get shuffled to a different rep who reads me the same script about the investigation being "ongoing." One guy actually had the nerve to tell me to stop calling because I was "slowing down the process" — I almost lost it.
Meanwhile I still don't have a car. I've been bumming rides to work and honestly it's affecting my job. I have bills stacking up and the money that was supposed to help me get back on my feet is just... gone? Sitting in some stranger's account?
Has anyone dealt with anything like this? Do I just keep waiting forever? Is there something I can legally do to force them to reissue the check while they sort out their fraud mess? I feel like I'm being punished for something that isn't remotely my fault.