ABB Alert: Check Washing

Criminals steal paper checks sent through the mail, for example, by fishing them from USPS mailboxes or by taking them out of your personal mailbox.  They may even rob postal workers in search of checks. 

Once they have a check you wrote and mailed, they use chemicals to “wash” the check in order to change the amount or make themselves the payee.  Then, they deposit your check and steal money from your account.  If you have mailed a check that was paid, but the recipient never received it, you may be a check-washing victim.

• Consider making payments using e-check, ACH automatic payments and other electronic and/or mobile payments.
• Use pens with indelible black ink such as a non-erasable gel pen so it is more difficult to wash your checks.
• Follow up with charities and businesses to ensure they received your check.
• Use online banking to review copies of your checks to ensure they were not altered.
• If you still receive paid checks back from the bank, shred-don’t just trash them.
• Regularly review your bank activity and statement for errors.
• Don’t leave blank spaces in the payee or amount lines of checks you write.