What Is Check Washing?
No, check washing isn’t when you leave a check in a pair of pants and accidentally wash them in the laundry. Check washing is a form of fraud that scammers use to “rewrite” the amount on your check and steal your money. Learn how to avoid this scam.
How It Works
This is an “old-school” way to steal money that scammers have been using more and more frequently. It starts with a check that you signed. Perhaps it was to pay a utility bill or send a loved one some money. Whatever the case, if you put a check in the mail, there is a chance that a scammer will take the check from your mailbox, erase the contents (besides your signature) using chemicals, and write in a new amount addressed to them.
Ways To Avoid Check Washing
- Pay your bills online – This is the most effective way to avoid check washing because there are no checks involved. Instead, you can use online bill pay resources and have money transferred digitally.
- Go to the post office – Instead of having your check sit in your mailbox until the mailperson comes, you can deliver it directly to the post office. Yes, this is less convenient than walking to your mailbox, but it reduces your risk of check washing.
- Check your mail every day – If you want to keep the convenience of having your mailperson pick up your mail in their next run, just make sure you keep an eye on your mail. Check it every day and try to time placing your check in the mailbox shortly before you know your mailperson is supposed to arrive.
- Monitor your accounts frequently – One of the best ways to stop scams is by checking your accounts. Most financial institutions have online or mobile ways to log in to digital account access. From there, you can check recent transactions and ensure no money has mysteriously vanished.
Think You Are A Victim?
If money has gone missing from your account, determine when your last check was withdrawn from your account. Double check it is the correct amount. If it’s not, call your financial institution immediately and try to reverse the action. Next, visit the Federal Trade Commission website and report it!