It’s the gift that keeps on giving! The more you give, the more that will come to get!
I am guessing that you just wrote ‘Eighteen’ in the amount, without the traditional line afterwards, designed to prevent this very fraud. The organization probably cashed the check for the perpetrator, giving him a percentage of the total. It appears that you have been the victim of intentional fraud and should contact the bank and the organization. Maybe they have some record of who they received the check from?
I have heard numerous complaints about people having checks written for Eight changed to Eighty – a very slight and easy change, and other similar changes. In addition to being careful when writing checks to not leave any extra blank space, I also check on my bank’s website to see the amount the check cleared for, and the back of the check to see what organization deposited the check. I had checks written to organizations (such as UTA – Satmar) cashed in non-tax deductible venues, such as Satmar Meat Market (for the aforementioned UTA check.)
I also make a note in my checkbook of the name of the person collecting. This is useful if for example they come back only two months later and claim that they haven’t been here since last year (technically it WAS before and after December 31,) or they say “Last time you gave me $100, can you give me a little more this time – and my records show that you gave them $25.
My worst peeve is that they come to my door already knowing my name, saying “Ah, Mr. Xxxxx! How are you!” as if they know me very well, even if they have never seen me before.