Why You Should Stop Sending Checks in the Mail, Especially Now
16th June 2023
If you’re dropping checks in the mail to your landlord or utility provider, it’s time to look for a different way to pay your bills. Check fraud and mail theft nearly doubled between 2021 and 2022, affecting hundreds of thousands of Americans, according to reports from both the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
Criminals are taking sophisticated steps to wash checks—stealing them from the mail and changing the payee’s name and payment amount—and conning banks into cashing them. This often involves creating fake identities using stolen personal information and then opening fraudulent bank accounts and writing new checks. Some are selling copies of washed checks online or using stolen mailbox keys to pick checks directly out of collection points.
While banks do refund check fraud victims for money lost, the AP reports that this process is slower than usual due to the significant increase in fraud cases.
Fewer Americans are writing and sending checks, but it’s still somewhat common. Here’s how to minimize the chance of becoming a victim.
Most banks will send a check for you if you use their online facilities.