Greg's Corner

Even businesses should watch out for check washing

By Greg Collier

Writing personal checks has largely become a relic of the past. However, there are still enough people writing checks that check washing has been rampant lately. Check washing is when a check is stolen either from a home’s mailbox or a postal mailbox. The check is then dipped in a chemical solution which removes the ink. The thieves can then rewrite the check for any amount they want as long as the funds are available. This has largely affected older consumers, who still send checks through the mail.

However, even though check writing has fallen in popularity with consumers, it’s still a common practice by businesses. If businesses need to pay their vendors, it is still often done by check. This can make them a prime target for check washing.

For example, a woman from Detroit is a member of her condo’s board association. She wrote a check for $525 to a vendor and mailed the check at a mailbox outside the Post Office. A thief had fished the envelope containing the check out of the mailbox. The check was washed and rewritten for $18,000 before being cashed in New York. To make matters worse, the board’s bank is allegedly dragging their feet in helping them get their money back.

Much like for consumers, the warning for businesses are largely the same. If you’re still using handwritten checks, there are special pens you can purchase that are resistant to check washing. Some experts say that gel pens and fountain pens are resistant to the check washing process.

Also, if your business isn’t large enough to have your mail picked up securely by USPS, go inside your local post office to have the checks mailed. Outdoor mailboxes have become vulnerable to thieves in recent years. Check washing has become such a problem, experts say that $1 billion was lost to the scam last year alone.