Protect Yourself From Check Fraud
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Preventing Check Fraud
Here are steps you can take to protect your financial information.
- When ordering checks, always choose a Trackable delivery method
- With trackable delivery through text or email, you are notified when your order has been placed, when the order has shipped, and when the order has been delivered.
- If your checks are stolen while in transit, or after delivery, you can quickly notify your financial institution.Â
- Take out-going mail into the post office
- By taking mail into the post office, rather than using unattended, USPS blue collection boxes or your own home mailbox, you decrease the chances of that item being stolen. Â Any piece of mail which looks like it could contain a check is a target for criminals.Â
- Use gel pens when writing checks
- Checks stolen from the mail can be ‘washed’, which involves using chemicals to remove the original ink.  The payee and the dollar amount are then altered.  Using a gel pen to write your checks helps ‘washing’ of the checks more difficult.Â
- Keep your checks in a safe place
- Always protect your checks and notify your financial institution right away if they are lost or stolen.
- Store checks, deposit slips, monthly and quarterly statements in a secure location. Reconcile your checking statement within 30 days of receiving it to detect any irregularities.
- Never leave your checkbook in your vehicle (whether locked or not).Â
- Sharing Information
- Never give your checking account number or any other account number to someone you don’t know, especially over the telephone. Be particularly aware of unsolicited phone calls.
- Limit the amount of personal information on your check. DO NOT include your SSN, driver’s license, or telephone numbers on your check.Â
- Writing or Depositing Checks
- Never endorse a check until you are ready to cash or deposit it.
- Don’t write your credit card number on your check.
- Use dark ink on your checks that can’t be easily erased or covered over.
- Avoid leaving large blank spaces in the check boxes or amount line of the check.Â
Click here to view an example of how to write a check appropriately.
Take the right precautions to protect yourself against check fraud. Make sure you follow the guidelines provided so you are completely protected by the law if you are a victim of check fraud. It just takes a little more time and effort to protect yourself from fraud.
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