My grandmother (who cleaned the floors on her knees with a rag) would be so excited to hear that checks are being washed.
She would have told me how dirty legal tender is, but she would have been so surprised by what is really going on.
Have you heard of washing checks? Check washing scams occur when your physical check is intercepted. It may have been stolen from our personal mailbox or the scammer may have rigged a fishing line with a sticky substance, and stolen mail from a public mailbox. The scammers then clean the check, literally washing it with common household chemicals. It is then rewritten. The altered check is deposited into the scammer’s account.
Some scammers take check washing cons a step or two further. They may take the information from the check and create counterfeit checks or establish fake IDs, driver’s licenses, or passports.
Scammees may not immediately know that they’ve been scammed. The discrepancy may not show up on the bank statement immediately or a creditor may call saying they’ve not received payment. For check washing, the scammer needs the physical check.
Leave it to the scammers to kick it up a notch. (Why don’t these people do acts of good??) We now have check cooking. Those who cook checks (or “bake” them) don’t need the physical check. They use an image of the check to digitally alter it using software that is commercially available. The scammer can then “deposit” the check using a bank’s phone app or they can print a copy of the altered check.
What can we do to protect ourselves? Here are some suggestions:
- Whenever possible, use mobile and online banking services
- Use black ink, preferably the gel kind, for checks. Blue ballpoint ink can be easily removed with acetone.
- Hand bill payments directly to your carrier or mail it from the post office. Do not drop it in the box outside the post office.
- Retrieve your mail daily and never leave the mailbox full overnight.
- If you’re away, arrange for the post office to hold your mail for up to 30 days or have a friend or trusted neighbor retrieve your mail.
- When mailing checks, use envelopes that have security tinting.
- Shred all canceled checks, checks deposited through your mobile app, credit card statements and bills.
- Review your checking account activity regularly. Ensure all checks have cleared for the correct amounts and to the correct payees.
- Store your checks in a secure place within your home.
- Avoid making checks out to “cash”. Instead, write out your checks to a specific person or business.
Protect your personal information. You don’t want scammers to have access to information on the documents from your financial institution!
Stay safe!
