Community Chat

[aroc3435]

@Puzzle Piece    What makes you think that people doing this are not born here in the States?

Crimes are not committed exclusively by foreigners.

This type of crime is reprehensible but putting all the blame on one group doesn't help get to any solution and actually hurts all of us--citizen or not--who live here.

aroc3435

Washington, DC

[Greeneyedlady21]

Wow, well I'll just say that's a biased assumption because I can't say what it really is. Even though of course she can post that.

[Puzzle Piece]

Ladies, I live here on the West Coast and you really need to live here to know what saunters into this country and sets up its criminal bases.  I won't change my popinion on what I wrote.  

[Tinkrbl44]

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@Sunshine Kate wrote:

What should one do if sending a birthday card to someone and want to enclose a check?

I don't put cash or gift cards in a card, because the post office employees can usually tell if a gift card is included.  It's easy to spot a greeting card of some type in the mail.  

Seems like enclosing a check is the way to go.  (Or used to be anyway).

If it's a local friend/relative of course I see them in person.  I have some family/friends though that live in different states and I need to mail.

Any suggestions?

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@Sunshine Kate 

A lot of greeting cards come with colored envelopes, and that is an alert to thieves that money might be enclosed. 

More than once I have placed the birthday card with money in it in a plain brown 6 x 9 envelope that looks nothing like a greeting card.  Just one stamp mails it, and the brown envelope looks much more  "ordinary".  

[Tinkrbl44]

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@RespectLife wrote:

I don't believe checks are any higher risk.

You pay online...you have either entered your bank info or your CC info.

How many times have we read about so and so being breached and all our info is out there???

You order online, your CC info is out there.  Even if you don't store it...these 'brilliant' hackers have a way of getting it.

My Discover card has been hacked 3 times over the past 4 yrs while it never left my purse.

I just keep an eye on everything so I can report any funny business immediately.

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@RespectLife 

Take a moment to read the article ... link in post #1.   You will be surprised.

[RespectLife]

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@Tinkrbl44 wrote:

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@RespectLife wrote:

I don't believe checks are any higher risk.

You pay online...you have either entered your bank info or your CC info.

How many times have we read about so and so being breached and all our info is out there???

You order online, your CC info is out there.  Even if you don't store it...these 'brilliant' hackers have a way of getting it.

My Discover card has been hacked 3 times over the past 4 yrs while it never left my purse.

I just keep an eye on everything so I can report any funny business immediately.

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@RespectLife 

Take a moment to read the article ... link in post #1.   You will be surprised.

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Since I am currently in accounting @Tinkrbl44 

No, I am not surprised in the least and fully aware of the increase in thefts.

Online hacking is at an all time high as well.  Phone theft, phising scams, computer malware etc etc.

The only thing we can do is be vigilant.  Most banks, financials will work with you to recover and replace IF you contact them immediately.

This isn't anything new at all.....these issues were around long before Vid.  If you have a computer, smart phone, ipad whatever...you are at risk of having your information hacked and used.  Credit cards and Paper checks as well, but there is NO guarantee doing payments online, ACH, Paypal etc will keep you safe.

It didn't for our company but since I check online everyday, 100% was restored to us.

If we didn't have an online account...the hackers couldn't have gotten to our funds.

These type of articles can be helpful, but should be taken as a caution, not panic check writing people into thinking they are going to lose everything they have.

[PickyPicky3]

Tomorrow is my deadline for giving T-Mobile a debit card number or direct access to a bank account or lose my autopay discounts.

I could go off autopay, request monthly bills and then send them checks. 

I'll stay on autopay with my credit card and pay more.

Just a way for them to raise your rate while still advertising they'll never raise your rate.

[Mindy D]

I once watched some expose about postal workers stealing money from the mail. It might have been a segment of a show. They were caught on video surveillance doing this. 

 They looked for the birthday card type envelopes to target. This was many, many years ago, so I don't want to put the onus on any current postal employees. 

[Sage04]

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@ROMARY wrote:

"You know'.........Just recently I've been thinking about writing checks.

Since depositing checks are often done using phones, and the person who receives the check discards the check into his/her trash (un-shredded), or lets it randomly float around in their car or eventually a sidewalk, couldn't someone find that check and retrieve our information?

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@ROMARY  I know a few people who do their Banking by phone. My sister just did it recently and of course she shredded the Check after.

[ROMARY]

SAGE04:

So grateful that your sister shreds checks after the check amounts have been deposited via phone, etc.

I'm going to attach a post-it to each check, asking that the person(s) shred my checks if they use their phone, etc. instead of paper check deposits to their bank accounts.