Check fraud is now back, 6 ways to make sure you’re safe

Hey folks,

Check fraud is now on the rise, says komando.com. As we continue to catch up, the article Check fraud is skyrocketing – How to protect yourself was written on March 15, 2023.

There is a book out there that we’ll be putting on EMHS that talks about check fraud and how the author eventually got caught. While that book which I’ll name later on when it becomes available on EMHS is a little out dated, this proves that it may be still of value.

Apparently, there is a technique called check washing. Komando.com goes in to detail about what this is, and its something that you should be aware of.

Under How to Avoid Check fraud, it recommends the following:

Stories of check fraud are frightening. Fortunately, there are ways to ensure your money is safe.
Here are six ways to protect against check fraud.

Pay your bills online. “As long as you’re not on a public Wi-Fi connection, paying bills online is safer than a check through the mail,” says Amy Nofziger, AARP’s director of fraud victim support. One reason is your bank account and the payment systems for your bills are encrypted.

Deliver your mail to a post office. Don’t leave envelopes containing checks in your mailbox or outdoor USPS collection boxes after the last pickup time. Your best bet is to take your letter to the nearest post office during business hours and either hand it to a clerk or slide it through an outgoing mail slot inside the building. Use a pen with blue or black non-erasable gel ink. Gel ink soaks into the paper and may be more difficult to remove than ballpoint pen ink.

Don’t let delivered mail sit in your mailbox. Collect your mail daily, as close to the delivery time as possible. If you’ll be away, ask a trusted friend to gather it or have the post office hold it until you’re back home. Monitor your bank account. Don’t wait for your monthly statement. Go online every few days to review account balances and look at checks drawn against
them.

Report incidents quickly. Contact your bank as soon as possible after suspicious activity. Banks are generally required to replace funds stolen via fraudulent checks, but only if the scam is reported within 30 days of the date of your bank statement. Also, contact the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and credit reporting agencies.

I had a check that apparently was either delivered and trashed or never got delivered. It was a customer, and we now have them online.

Besides these tips, I’d stop taking physical checks, especially if they get delivered. While I have taken checks lately and they’ve been delivered safely, its something I have an issue with because of government regulation with the programs that are given to us where we can only have a certain amount of money.

With that said, there are companies that don’t take credit cards, but will happily take a check. They may only even take cash, which might be risky especially if it is mailed.

I guess the book in question I thought was going to be a no is now a yes after Nick approved the list. We’ll continue to get those books in place, and it’ll be revealed really soon. Enjoy your day!