Are You Still Writing Checks?

Have you ever sent a check to someone and later found out the recipient never received it? You may be a victim of check washing.

Check washing involves changing the payee names and often the dollar amounts on checks and then fraudulently depositing or cashing them. Any time a check is mailed, there is potential risk for it being stolen. But how do the checks get swiped?

Checks can be obtained in many ways. The most common method involves criminals stealing mail. USPS blue drop boxes are being accessed by the criminals, along with seeing if mail is left in residential and business mailboxes overnight. Criminals steal the mail and then wash the checks in chemicals to remove the ink. The payee and dollar amounts are then altered by the criminal and fraudulently deposited or cashed at a local financial institution. Fake checks may also be created by the use or a copier or printer.

How to protect your mail?

· Deposit mail before the last pick-up in the blue USPS drop boxes

· Hand your mail directly to your mail carrier or drop at local post office

· Retrieve your mail daily and never leave mail in your mailbox overnight

· If out of town, have your mail held by the post office to be picked up when you return

· When writing checks, use a gel pen. Ink characteristics in gel pens make it hard for chemicals to remove the ink.

Don’t forget to look at the check images when the checks clear your bank account. If only the payee name was changed, you may not notice the check was not received by the original recipient. You can also receive a copy of each check at the Bank.

If you operate a business account, ask us about Positive Pay – a fraud prevention tool on checks and ACH transactions.