topic Re: Caution Concerning Mailing Personal Checks in Community Chat

Caution Concerning Mailing Personal Checks

On It — Tue, 13 Jun 2023 13:24:10 GMT

I have seen two postings this morning cautioning individuals about mailing checks. There has been a sharp uptick in the number of checks being stolen from the USPS. The last story was from the CBS local affiliate.

Last week I saw a photo of a check for something like $28 that had been stolen and altered to $4000. It certainly gives pause concerning this heightened risk.

Re: Caution Concerning Mailing Personal Checks

Eileen in Virginia — Tue, 13 Jun 2023 13:33:30 GMT

This happened to us a few years ago. Someone stole our half-year real estate tax payment and altered the check to change the payee and almost triple the amount. DH had mailed it in an outdoor, drive-up mailbox in the Post Office driveway. Luckily, the bank caught it. We now have checks that are treated to show attempts to alter a check. Although we pay most of our bills online, we take any hard copy payments to the mailbox INSIDE the Post Offiice.

Re: Caution Concerning Mailing Personal Checks

depglass — Tue, 13 Jun 2023 13:44:26 GMT

It is downright pathetic that we can't trust postal employees to guard outside boxes. Of course, if this was done by an employee, they could have snagged the envelope inside the building also. Just make sure your envelope doesn't get stuck at the opening, especially at Christmas when there might be cards filling the box.

Re: Caution Concerning Mailing Personal Checks

msgb — Tue, 13 Jun 2023 13:52:18 GMT

One always has to be extra careful.

The post offices and the post boxes outside the post office facilities seem to be being broken into a lot lately. No matter where one lives it is the case.

If ever possible I try and pay the bill in person.

If you are writing a check one of the things that you should do is use a pen that is a gel pen. They are harder to wash. Yes the checks are washed and then a new amount is put in.

Re: Caution Concerning Mailing Personal Checks

ScrapHappy — Tue, 13 Jun 2023 14:09:28 GMT

Around here, mail is being stolen from people's mailboxes. Mostly those mailboxes that are all together in a community. Especially apartments. We still write checcks to pay bills. Considered paying but there's potential problems with that too. We always take our bills inside the post office to mail.

Re: Caution Concerning Mailing Personal Checks

deeva — Tue, 13 Jun 2023 14:29:25 GMT

Unfortunately, this has been happening for at least five years. That's why I seldom write or mail checks.

But if I do, I mail it from inside the post office.

Re: Caution Concerning Mailing Personal Checks

beckyb1012 — Tue, 13 Jun 2023 14:36:24 GMT

We had a company check sent from Texas to New York for $32.00 and it was altered to $25,000. The bank was suspicious since they changed the name on the Payee to Southern Comfort Whiskey. The bank called me and we got our money back but the thieves of course were never caught. Apparently the way they do it is "chemical wash" the payee name and the amounts but keep the rest of the check for payment.

Mail as been being stolen since mail and checks began. I pay all bills with check personal and business.

Re: Caution Concerning Mailing Personal Checks

Snoopp — Tue, 13 Jun 2023 14:36:55 GMT

I rarely mail from my personal mailbox. I usually go directly to the post office. Our area changed the 24 hour blue boxes so that it is more difficult to get mail out of them.

Re: Caution Concerning Mailing Personal Checks

SilleeMee — Tue, 13 Jun 2023 14:46:48 GMT

Around here in my neighborhood there are kids who think it's funny to take mail out of peoples' mailboxes and let it scatter in the wind.

Re: Caution Concerning Mailing Personal Checks

Bhvbum — Tue, 13 Jun 2023 14:50:55 GMT

@On It wrote:
I have seen two postings this morning cautioning individuals about mailing checks. There has been a sharp uptick in the number of checks being stolen from the USPS. The last story was from the CBS local affiliate.

Last week I saw a photo of a check for something like $28 that had been stolen and altered to $4000. It certainly gives pause concerning this heightened risk.
======================================================

So what is the solution, we're not going to stop mailing checks if need be. And we should be checking our monthly statements anyway. The bank customer has a year to notify the bank of an altered check and their account will be restored.

The very same thing can happen to a credit card, someone can charge something fraudulently. We should be checking those statements every month too. The same thing could happen if your account gets hacked. But we're going to continue to write checks and use our credit/debit cards. Who has time to go to a business, check in hand?

Re: Caution Concerning Mailing Personal Checks

deb5555 — Tue, 13 Jun 2023 14:55:36 GMT

They now sell uniball 207 security pens, they work great!

Re: Caution Concerning Mailing Personal Checks

JoyFilled Warrior — Tue, 13 Jun 2023 14:57:52 GMT

Hi @On It

Thank you for this caution.

Usually I go inside and mail those few bills I happen to pay by check.

1) I always proceed a written "$" in that block that I write the numerical symbols of the check amt, and

2) I use the whole line where the amt is written out, long hand, so there's no more room left to add a word.

And I often go inside the P.O to mail the check in the slot.

BUT!!!

I have become more LAZY, and put bill payment envelopes in my Mail Box, or on 2 occasions recently, used the outdoor Blue Post Ofc Box.

Even tho I follow it up with looking at my CheckingAcct online to see if they were cashed.

BUT, my lazier actions certainly set me up for a Pain In The A** opportunity for someone to steal these! then later I have to deal with correcting it.

After your warning. NEVER AGAIN!

THANKS for this warning & info, @On It !!

I needed this reminder!

Re: Caution Concerning Mailing Personal Checks

NYCLatinaMe — Tue, 13 Jun 2023 15:10:28 GMT

All the banks are talking about this now. Check washing they call it. I think the banks are promoting this to stop us from using check. They save $ not having to process those. They prefer electronic transfers. But with electronic transfers, the customer often takes responsibility for the loss of funds and may not even notice it, while with checks, the bank is responsible.

There is much more electronic financial fraud than check washing. Let the banks take care for the security of our money.

Re: Caution Concerning Mailing Personal Checks

Love to Run — Tue, 13 Jun 2023 15:18:56 GMT

I haven't written a check in years. Even my mom uses Venmo, Cashapp, or Zelle.

Re: Caution Concerning Mailing Personal Checks

scruffsmom — Tue, 13 Jun 2023 15:20:03 GMT

Mail carriers have been shot snd robbed in my city. Apparently the crooks want the key that opens stand alone mailboxes so they can steal the mail and probably wash checks.

I very rarely send checks, but i will invest in those pens for when I do.

Re: Caution Concerning Mailing Personal Checks

chrystaltree — Tue, 13 Jun 2023 15:24:01 GMT

They've been warning people about the risks of mailing checks for years. It's why we see the assaults on mail carriers. Thieves want their keys so they can open mail boxes and search for checks. With today's technology it's easy to "clean" the check and then make it out to whoever they choose for whatever amount they choose. I never use checks. There's no reason now because I can pay all my bills through their portals or secure websites. When I give money as gifts, I give American Express gift cards or I use Venmo.

Re: Caution Concerning Mailing Personal Checks

Sooner — Tue, 13 Jun 2023 15:27:29 GMT

Maybe time to arm mail carriers with at least tasers and stop some of this nonsense.

Re: Caution Concerning Mailing Personal Checks

chrystaltree — Tue, 13 Jun 2023 15:28:09 GMT

@SilleeMee wrote:
Around here in my neighborhood there are kids who think it's funny to take mail out of peoples' mailboxes and let it scatter in the wind.

OMG..... Years ago, a bunch of kids in our old neighborhood thought that was "fun". It was their summer activity. They also opened gates and let people's dogs out.

Re: Caution Concerning Mailing Personal Checks

JoyFilled Warrior — Tue, 13 Jun 2023 15:30:22 GMT

Jeppers! "Check Washing??"

So difficult to keep track of the creative ways thieves cheat us everyday ppl of our hard earned, responsible spending of our money!

Boggles my mind!

Re: Caution Concerning Mailing Personal Checks

NYCLatinaMe — Tue, 13 Jun 2023 15:41:30 GMT

@Love to Run Banks are not responsible for money transferred through Venmo or Zelle. I don't know Cashapp. I do not use Bank Aps because of this.

A lot has been written about this. Some headlines:

Fraud Is Flourishing on Zelle. The Banks Say It's Not Their Fault ...

The New York Times 2022/03/06

Easy to Use, Mobile Payment Apps Are Also Easy to Misuse

The New York Times

Jan 28, 2023 — Services like Venmo and Zelle let people pay others or receive payments almost instantly, with a few taps on their phone.

Few Customers Get Refunds for 'Rampant' Zelle Fraud, ...

The New York Times

Oct 3, 2022 — Reports of scams and fraud on the bank-owned payment network Zelle are surging, but banks have refused to refund customers for most of their ...