You try to use your credit card to make a purchase and are told it has been declined. In a panic, you call your credit card company, which informs you that they never received your last payment. "That’s impossible," you exclaim, knowing you sent the payment in weeks ago.
You go to check other recently paid bills to find out that several others, including your housing association fees and insurance payments, weren’t received. You head to your bank, only to find out that the checks have been "washed" — that is, fished out of the mail, ink lifted and re-made out to other people.
This exact scam happened to one of my family members, and per the US Postal Service, these scams are surging, with Postal Inspectors recovering "more than $1 billion in counterfeit checks and money orders every year." The US Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network has said that check fraud doubled from 2021 to 2023!
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My family member thought she did everything right. She avoided online payments so she wouldn’t be subject to online payment scams. The checks were dropped off at the local post office in a box right outside the facility. But still, she ended up being scammed (which fortunately, with the help of her bank, she wasn’t liable for the clearly stolen funds).
So, if even the mail isn’t safe, how can you protect yourself?
First, use a special pen
Check washing uses a chemical process to remove the ink. Using a gel pen can make this process more difficult for criminals to do. Also, pressing hard when writing can make it more difficult to erase.
However, this is not a fool-proof plan either, as many authorities are noting that scammers are now using technology to scan the checks with your signature and reproduce fake copies using their computers. So, the pens can help as a deterrent, but aren’t 100% safe, either.
Consider paying in person
If you have the ability to do so, pay your bills in person. For example, pay your credit card at a local associated branch of the company. Pay your property taxes at the city’s offices. Of course, it’s less convenient, but a lot more secure.
You can also consider paying online, but this opens you up to online scams, so make sure you do so safely, using best practices.
If you choose to use the mail, drop off inside the post office, don’t use mailboxes
Yes, it’s less convenient, but even the boxes owned by the government are targeted by scammers, so physically go into the post office to drop off your mail.
As a bonus tip, guard your mail at home. Get your mail frequently so that scammers can’t pull information from your mailbox. If you plan to travel, put a free hold on your mail delivery with the post office while you are away.
Monitor your payment status regularly
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Acting quickly can help to make sure you recover any misappropriated funds. Designate a day a week to be "bill day" and make sure all your bills have been paid and the payments have gone through as expected. If any payment is taking too long to process, look into it immediately. Contact your financial institution to help you through this process.
Scammers are rampant and looking for every edge to defraud hard working Americans. Be diligent, even when you are doing something as routine as mailing a check.