Sending checks is risky business. Every check has your name, address, bank routing number, account number, and signature. In addition to providing a wealth of information to potential identity thieves, the checks can be washed and then fraudulently cashed for thousands of dollars.
What is check washing?
Check washing refers to the chemical removal of ink from a check that you’ve written, such that criminals can change the amount and make it payable to themselves. According to the United States Postal Inspection Service, postal inspectors recover more than $1 billion in counterfeit checks and money orders every year.
How to prevent check washing
The best way to protect yourself from check washing is to keep checks out of the wrong hands. You should always use a USPS Blue Box for outgoing mail. No mailbox, even a locking mailbox, is secure enough for outgoing mail. Short of that, however, another way you can protect your checks is to prevent them from being washed.
The Uni-Ball 207 is an innovative pen that features a special ink that gets trapped in the paper, making the ink resistant to washing. A few years back, we had a check intercepted en route the payee. We were not aware of this until we saw that it had been cashed in New York City, far from its intended destination. Someone had washed the printer ink off our business check and made it out to themselves to the tune of over $10,000. While our bank was able to resolve the matter after months of haggling, we have since learned our lesson. Now, we write all of our business checks with a Uni-Ball 207 pen, in addition to bringing all outgoing mail to the USPS.
You can find the Uni-Ball 207 at your local drug or office store, or you can get an 8-pack for $15 at Amazon.
Still Have Questions?
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