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  Geebo 9:00 am on January 23, 2024 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: check washing ( 14 ), mail theft, Scams ( 1,224 ), USPS ( 13 )   

  Is it even safe to mail checks anymore? 

  

  By Greg Collier

  When we discuss the check washing scam, or the newer check cooking scam, we recommend mailing your checks from inside your local post office. But what happens when your checks are being stolen from within the postal system? That’s what one county in Maryland discovered happening in their community.

  If you’re not familiar with check washing, it’s a fraudulent scheme where criminals tamper with a check by altering or erasing information to gain unauthorized access to funds. The term ‘check washing’ specifically refers to the process of removing or modifying the ink on a written check, typically using chemicals or solvents. This allows the perpetrator to change details such as the payee’s name, the amount, or other information on the check.

  Once the check is altered, it can be used by the fraudster to withdraw money from the victim’s account or make unauthorized purchases. Criminals involved in check washing often focus on outgoing mail or checks left in vulnerable locations, such as home mailboxes, where they can easily intercept and manipulate the checks.

  In Prince George’s County, Maryland, investigators discovered a multi-million dollar check washing ring. One of the alleged ring members was a USPS mail handler assistant. This position allowed them to steal checks while on the job.

  From there, the checks would be sent to the ring leader, who allegedly would alter the checks. Then the checks were made out to money mules, who would deposit the checks into their own bank accounts until they cleared. Money was withdrawn or transferred from these accounts into other accounts used by the scammers.

  Each member of the ring is facing a potential sentence of 30 years in federal prison.

  While this is most definitely an edge case scenario, the chance of your check being stolen in the manner is not zero. So, what can you do to prevent your check from being stolen? If you’re insistent on writing checks, we recommend using an indelible ink like a gel pen or Sharpie. These inks are said to be difficult to wash off the checks. However, checks written with these inks are still vulnerable to the new check cooking scam, which alters checks digitally.

  For situations like recurring monthly bills, we recommend setting up automatic payments with your providers. Typically, recurring bills such as utilities, rent/mortgage, and insurance premiums are good candidates for automation.

  While paper checks have been a traditional method of payment, the risks associated with scams like check washing highlight the vulnerabilities in this outdated system. With the advent of secure and convenient digital payment options, it’s time to seriously consider abandoning paper checks. Embracing electronic transactions enhances security and streamlines financial processes, making it a practical choice for the modern era.

   

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  Geebo 9:01 am on January 17, 2024 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: check baking, check cooking, check washing ( 14 ), mail theft, Scams ( 1,224 )   

  New version of check washing scam emerges 

  

  By Greg Collier

  In case you’re unfamiliar with check washing, it’s a scam where criminals alter or erase information on a check to gain unauthorized access to funds. The term ‘check washing’ refers to the act of removing or altering the ink from a written check, typically using chemicals such as acetone or other solvents. This allows the fraudster to modify the payee’s name, the amount, or other details on the check.

  The altered check can then be used to withdraw money from the victim’s account or make unauthorized purchases. Criminals engaged in check washing often target outgoing mail or checks left in unsecured locations, such as home mailboxes, where they can easily intercept and modify the checks.

  Now, according to the FBI, there’s a new check scam where the washing part is done electronically. In a new process called ‘check cooking’ or ‘check baking’, a scammer only needs a digital photograph of a check. From there, the scammer can use software to remove any writing that’s on the check. Then, the scammer can print out as many counterfeit checks as they need. Instead of writing one big check like a scammer would with check washing, they can now write out several small checks to stay under the radar. However, by the time the scam is caught, the victim could still lose thousands of dollars to the scammer.

  A scammer would still need to possess a physical copy of one of your checks to commit this scam. To protect yourself from such scams, you may want to consider switching to a different method of payment other than checks. You can always pay your bills through a debit or credit card, or have an automatic payment taken from your bank account.

  If there is a situation where you absolutely have to send a physical check, mail the payment from the inside of your local post office. Whatever you do, don’t leave bills in your outgoing mail at home. Scammers have no hesitation about taking the mail out of your mailbox if there is any hint of a check being in there.

  Additionally, monitoring bank statements regularly for any unauthorized transactions can help detect and report fraudulent activities promptly.

   
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  Geebo 8:00 am on October 17, 2023 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: check washing ( 14 ), mail theft, Scams ( 1,224 )   

  Check washing scam on the rise again 

  

  By Greg Collier

  We understand there is still a large segment of the population who pays their bills by check. It’s what they know and what’s been working for them most of their lives. Companies still accept checks, so they see no reason to change. Unfortunately, the US mail system is no longer seen as the hallowed system it once was. While at one time it was seen as sacrilege to steal someone’s mail, that is no longer the case. Paying your bills by check through the mail can now put you at an extreme financial risk.

  Check washing is a scam in which a criminal alters the details on a check to gain unauthorized access to someone else’s funds. This is usually done by soaking the check in chemicals, which removes the ink. The scammer will then write the check out to themselves in a much higher amount than was originally issued. Victims of check washing have lost thousands of dollars to this scam.

  Scammers will steal someone’s mail, typically a bill, to get their hands on a check. It doesn’t matter if the bill was mailed at an official USPS mailbox, or one of the drop-off mailboxes in front of your local post office. Check washing scammers have devices that allow them to retrieve the mail through the top slots of just about any mailbox. These scammers especially look for someone sending outgoing mail from the mailbox in front of their homes. Putting up the flag on a home mailbox can be a signal to scammers to come steal your mail.

  For example, take the city of Westerville, Ohio. This suburb of Columbus only has a population of 38,000. Yet, local police have received 50 complaints about check washing since March. Investigators say victims have lost upwards of $10,000. One detective even went as far to say that no one should mail checks anymore.

  To make matters worse, once a scammer steals a check. The information included in the check can be used to steal that victim’s identity. Stolen checks are even being sold to other scammers on the dark web.

  Instead of sending checks in the mail, consider setting up automatic payments with your providers. Typically, recurring bills such as utilities, rent/mortgage, and insurance premiums are good candidates for automation.

  However, if you’re dead set on still using checks, there are some steps you can take to help protect yourself. If you only use gel pens when writing checks, it makes it harder for scammers to remove the ink. When mailing checks, take them directly to the post office and drop them off inside the post office.

   
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  Geebo 9:00 am on January 9, 2023 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: change of address ( 3 ), mail fraud ( 21 ), mail theft, Scams ( 1,224 ), USPS ( 13 )   

  Scam steals your mail without coming to your home 

  

  By Greg Collier

  Previously, we’ve discussed scams that involve stealing your mail from your mailbox. Check washing is a major problem with that. Scammers steal mail for a number of reasons, but mostly for identity theft reasons. Even junk mail can open an avenue into your personal information to scammers. However, there are some scammers who don’t even need to go to your home to steal your mail.

  The state of Wisconsin is warning its residents to be aware if they stop receiving mail at their homes. Scammers there are said to be using USPS’ change of address options to have victims’ mail delivered straight to the scammers. . Just about anyone can go to the post office and change someone’s mailing address.

  When someone does fill out a change of address form, the USPS sends a confirmation letter to the old address letting residents know that their mailing address is about to change. While you can check your mailbox every day, a lot of us aren’t home during the day, and scammers have been known to stalk their victims’ mailboxes and take what they need, this could include the confirmation letter.

  However, if you do receive the confirmation letter, and you haven’t changed your address, go to the post office immediately and report it.

  A good way to protect yourself from this scam is to switch to paperless banking and bills. Another good way is to sign up for the USPS’s Informed Delivery service. It’s free, and every day you receive postal mail, you’ll receive an email with pictures of your scanned mail letting you know what to expect in that day’s mail. That way, you can see if a change of address letter has been sent to you before someone can take it from your mailbox.

   
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  Geebo 8:00 am on June 15, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: check washing ( 14 ), mail theft, mail washing, Scams ( 1,224 )   

  Why is mail being stolen from your mailbox? 

  

  By Greg Collier

  Depending on where you live, mail theft might be a common occurrence in your neighborhood. While it may not have happened to you, it may have happened to your neighbors. If you belong to a neighborhood group online, you may have seen some complaints of mail theft.

  But why would someone want to steal your mail? Identity theft is a big reason. If you get a lot of credit card offers, an identity theft may fill out the application in your name. Stealing gifts is another reason. For example, if you’ve recently had someone in your home graduate from high school, and had graduation decorations in front of your home, mail thieves may be watching your mailbox for cash gifts being sent through the mail.

  However, what we’re discussing today is outgoing mail. If you leave your outgoing mail in your home’s mailbox for the Postal Service to pick up, you may want to start a new routine. A report out of one Florida city is stating that residents are having their mail stolen for a scam known as mail washing or check washing. This is when mail thieves look for the flag on your mailbox being left upright, indicating that there is mail that needs to picked up.

  The thieves are hoping to find any kind of payment that’s made by check. They’ll take the checks and dip them in a chemical solution that removes the ink from the check. This allows the thieves to write the check to anybody they want for any amount.

  In the Florida town, residents were struck seven times since March and have lost a total of $85,000. One victim lost a total of $14,000 from one check. That victim reported that his security camera caught the thieves taking his mail around 1 or 2 am.

  There are ways to protect yourself from the check washing scam, though. There are special pens you can use that are designed to resist check washing. You may want to also consider switching to electronic payments rather than manual ones. Lastly, if you absolutely have to mail a physical check to someone, it’s best if you take it directly to your local post office and drop off the check inside.

   
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  Geebo 8:00 am on October 6, 2021 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: check washing ( 14 ), mail fishing ( 2 ), mail theft, Scams ( 1,224 )   

  Watch out for sticky mailboxes 

  

  By Greg Collier

  There used to be a time when the blue US Postal Service mailboxes were considered almost sacred. We would hear all the time about how it was considered a federal crime to tamper with the box, let alone take mail from it. In today’s world, that’s no longer a deterrent keeping con artists and thieves out of postal collection boxes. Previously, when we’ve discussed mail being stolen from collection boxes, the box is overstuffed with mail where bad actors could just reach in and grab a fistful of mail. Now, it seems that mail thieves aren’t even waiting for the mailbox to be full before stealing mail from them.

  Police in Norwood, Massachusetts, have been warning residents there about a string of incidents where mail has been fished out of mailboxes. Mail thieves are using items like bottles that are covered in an adhesive to drop into the mailboxes and hopefully fish out some mail containing checks. As we posted about recently, this so thieves and scammers can dip the checks in chemicals to remove the ink from written and cancelled checks in a process known as check washing.

  Local police are recommending to residents that they should be aware of any mailbox that has any sticky residue on it. This also good advice to anyone who still uses their local mailbox to send their mail. However, the best way to prevent mail theft like this is to drop your mail off inside of your local post office or handing it directly to a mail carrier. It’s also recommended that you write your checks using a gel or felt tip pin, as these inks are more difficult to remove from checks.

   
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  Geebo 8:00 am on October 4, 2021 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: check scam ( 76 ), check washing ( 14 ), mail theft, Scams ( 1,224 ), St. Louis   

  Checks stolen from post office mailbox 

  

  By Greg Collier

  As much as we have moved away from paying for items with personal checks, there are still instances when a personal check is still necessary. For example, a woman in the St. Louis area needed to pay a contractor who was building her family a new home. That’s not a service that you can often pay with your debit card. The woman went to her local post office and placed the check that was addressed to the contractor in the collection box outside.

  She probably thought nothing of it until she received a call from her bank. The bank asked her if she had recently written a check for $73,000. She told the bank she didn’t and didn’t know the person that the check was supposedly issued to. The bank then asked her if she had used her local post office to mail the check. The bank said that they have had a number of customers had checks they wrote stolen from that collection box. The checks had all their ink removed and written to out to new recipients. Thankfully, the bank did not let the woman’s stolen check be cashed.

  This scam is known as check washing. It’s when someone dips an already written or even canceled check in chemicals and removes the handwritten ink from the check. The thieves can then write the check to whomever they want for whatever amount they want. As long as there is enough money in the checking account to cover the washed check, the check can be cashed.

  It’s recommended that in order to protect yourself that you switch from checks to electronic payments. However, like we said, in some cases, you have to pay by check. In that case, there are special pens you can buy that resist check washing. If you’re mailing the checks from the post office, have them mailed from inside the post office, where they’re less likely to be stolen. Lastly, never leave your outgoing mail in your home mailbox. More mail is stolen from home mailboxes than USPS mailboxes.

   
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  Geebo 8:00 am on April 20, 2021 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: check scam ( 76 ), check washing ( 14 ), mail theft, Scams ( 1,224 ), Virginia ( 9 )   

  Stolen mail leads to stolen checks 

  

  By Greg Collier

  I’m sure we’ve all been there. You go the post office and pull up to the outside collection box. It turns out that the mailbox is filled to the brim with mail. You think to yourself that anyone could reach in and take a handful of mail. Then you still place your item to be mailed in the overflowing mailbox. If you’re still paying your bills by mail, you might want to reconsider that stance.

  A collection box outside a post office in Virginia Beach, Virginia has been targeted multiple times for mail theft in the past few months. After the mail was stolen from the box, checks that were supposed to be for bills were washed and cashed for much larger amounts. Check washing is when someone dips an already written or even canceled check in chemicals and removes the handwritten ink from the check. They then put in whatever information on the check that they need. As long as there is enough money in the account the check can be cashed. Some of the checks were rewritten for thousands of dollars more than they were intended for. If that transaction is ignored long enough, you could miss the window you have to dispute the falsified check.

  While this scam may not be as prevalent as others, you still don’t want to be the victim of this scam. It’s recommended that in order to protect yourself that you switch from checks to electronic payments. They can’t steal a check if there’s no check to be stolen. However, if you’re dead set on still mailing checks, there are a few precautions you can take. There are special pens that you can buy that are resistant to check washing. If you’re taking the bills to the post office, have them mailed from inside the post office where they’re less likely to be stolen. Lastly, never leave your outgoing mail in your home mailbox. More mail is stolen from home mailboxes than USPS mailboxes.

   
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  Geebo 9:00 am on December 6, 2019 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: check scam ( 76 ), check washing ( 14 ), mail theft, Scams ( 1,224 )   

  Don’t leave your outgoing bills in your mailbox 

  

  When we talk about scams, we mostly warn our readers about online or phone scams. The reason these scams are so prolific is that everyone has a smartphone and a lot of people use weak passwords on their accounts. However, that doesn’t mean that analog scams have disappeared. One such scam recently turned up in reports that use one of the oldest forms of communication in the US to find victims, good old fashioned snail mail. We all know that tampering with someone’s postal mail is a federal offense, but it hasn’t stopped some scammers from taking that risk.

  A couple in Alabama recently found that someone had accessed their bank account and several unauthorized payments were made from their account. They weren’t the victims of any kind of electronic fraud. Instead, someone had stolen their outgoing mail from their mailbox. In that mail were a few bills that they were paying by check. The scammers are then said to have committed what is known as check washing. Check washing is when someone dips an already written or even canceled check in chemicals and removes the handwritten ink from the check. They then put in whatever information on the check that they need. As long as there is enough money in the account the check can be cashed.

  [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZNmI1Ao-4g%5D

  There are ways to prevent check washing from happening. The first is to switch to electronic payments to pay your bills. However, if for whatever reason you have to write checks, there are special pens that you can buy that are resistant to check washing. Instead of leaving outgoing mail in your home mailbox, you may want to take it to the post office instead so you know it gets into the hands of the US Postal Service.

  With a number of relatives writing checks to send as Christmas gifts, this time of year could be especially bad for stolen checks. If you have an older relative that may not be able to get to the post office, offer to take their bills to the post office for them. It’s a little inconvenience for peace of mind.

   
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  Geebo 10:00 am on December 20, 2018 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Informed Delivery, mail theft, porch pirates ( 4 ), USPS ( 13 )   

  Help prevent porch pirates with this free service 

  

  Mail theft is an ongoing problem that has been on the rise over the past decade with the increase in online purchasing. These thieves have been dubbed ‘porch pirates’ for the way they pilfer packages that have been left on your porch or doorstep by your mail carrier. Even if you have the latest security or doorbell cameras, that might not be enough as in some locales police might not have the time and manpower to pursue any purloined packages. However, you don’t have to go as far as building your own NASA-engineered glitter bomb to help prevent package theft, but you can sign up for a free prevention service provided by the US Postal Service.

  USPS provides a service known as Informed Delivery service. All you need to do is to go to the USPS website and sign up for the service. It only takes a few minutes to register your address. Once registered, the USPS will start providing you with emails that contained scanned copies of the mail you’ll be receiving that day. That way you can be on the lookout for important and valuable mail and have a record of it in case it turns up missing.

  However, as shown by the video above, porch pirates can use this service to their advantage as well. If they’ve signed up for the service in your name, the emails from the USPS could be sent to thief’s email instead of yours. As has been mentioned, this service provided by the Post Office is free and could save you from a potentially disastrous situation. Isn’t that worth the price of just a few extra emails a week? It’s not just good for the holiday season but for all year-long.