The Facts on Check Washing
Once considered an old-time scam, check washing has come back onto the identity theft scam ring. It is a simple and low-tech way for thieves to alter checks that have been written by consumers.
How it Works
Identity thieves will use a chemical erasing treatment to remove the handwritten portions of a consumer’s check. This chemical will remove the handwriting, but still maintain the quality of the check itself. Unfortunately for consumers, these chemicals are easily found just about anywhere. After a thief has removed the portions of the check they needed to, they will alter the payee and the amount written out to them. Majority of the times the thief will only change the payee to themselves so that the amount that goes through a consumer’s bank account goes unnoted.
How to Avoid Check Washing Scams
Though there is no 100 percent guarantee a consumer can avoid a check washing scam, there are a few ways consumers can minimize their overall risk:
-Never leave outgoing payments in your mailbox. Drop them directly off at the post office.
-Limit the amount of checks you actually write each day. Instead pay your bills securely online and know where your payments are going.
-If you are writing a check, use gel ink in black so that the ink will bleed into the fibers of the check and cannot be removed.
-Shred all cancelled checks.
-Never leave blank spaces on your checks that you write.
-Always review bank statements and cashed checks to ensure they were cashed by who they were originally written to.
-Always have new checks delivered to your bank rather than your home.
-Order checks with chemical voids and security inks so that they cannot be forged upon.
Resources:
ITRC Solution 21 – Check Washing, www.idtheftcenter.org, November 29, 2010