Tips to Prevent Check Washing

A crime is on the rise that can affect not only you, but your money as well.

Most people don’t usually think that your personal checks can be easily wiped, cleaned and used for fraudulent purposes. 

Sure enough though, check washing involves changing the payee names and often the dollar amounts on checks and fraudulently depositing them. 

These checks are stolen from mailboxes, washed in chemicals to remove the ink and can affect you without your knowledge. 

Here are some ways to prevent this from happening to you: 

      1.) ALWAYS use a gel ink pen when writing a check. The ink itself contains particles that make it harder to wash away.

      2.) Either deposit outgoing mail in the blue collection box before the last pickup time in the day, or visit your local post office. 

      3.) Never leave mail in your mailbox overnight.

      4.) If you are out of town, it is best to have your mail held at the post office if you do not have someone you trust to hold it for you.