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What is Check Washing

Check fraud is on the rise! One form is check washing – the stealing and modifying of a check that you put in the mail to pay a bill or pay a friend. 

What is Check washing? 

Check washing is the process of once thieves stealing your checks; they use easy to obtain chemicals to wash off the payee and the dollar amount fields while protecting your signature. Then they fill in a new name and usually much larger amount. 

How does it happen? 

It starts with a scammer or fraudster stealing checks from the mail by targeting personal mailboxes or collection boxes. These could be checks that you intend to pay a bill or a birthday gift to grandchild. The fraudster may steal it directly from your mailbox before the postman makes their rounds or they could target the local mailbox in the neighborhood or shopping center. Checks can also be stolen from local places of business. There are numerous ways for scammers to get ahold of your check. 

Here are some helpful tips to help prevent check washing and other checking scams:

  • Use NAE FCU Online Banking and FREE Bill Pay service. (Can we make this a link to our online banking sign up?)

  • Use your NAE FCU Debit card or Platinum Visa as a replacement to writing checks. (Can we make this a link to our Platinum Visa info page?)

  • Use a black gel pen to write your checks. Gel pens use an ink that bonds to the paper and makes it harder for criminals to wash off. 

  • Deliver outgoing mail directly to the drop box inside the Post Office or at least hand directly to your mail carrier. 

  • Install a secure lockable mailbox for receiving incoming mail. 

  • Use NAE FCU online banking to monitor your checking account transactions daily. Watch for checks that do not clear in a timely manner. 

What to do if you think you are a victim of checking scam?

Contact NAE FCU Contact Center or branch immediately. 

Remember – no one from NAE FCU will ever contact you and ask for any of your banking information, such as your account number, your PIN number or password, or debit or credit card numbers. If anyone calls and asks for any of this type of information, hang up! Then call or visit your nearest NAE FCU branch.

OMNICOMMANDER