Eye on Scams: Check washing

LAFAYETTE, La. ( KLFY ) — Each year, U.S. Postal Inspectors recover $1 billion worth of checks and money orders stolen from mailboxes. Scammers are stealing these checks and “check washing” to steal money.

Chris Babin, CEO of the Better Business Bureau of Acadiana , said scammers can wash off ink and alter the check.

“Check washing is when a scammer takes a check that’s been made out or printed to go to a particular recipient, and they literally wash the information off of it,” Babin said. “You can do this with certain household chemicals. Of course, you have to do it a certain way, but they figured out how to not damage the check. “

Scammers replace the intended recipient’s information with their own, so they can deposit the money in their own account. Scammers even change the dollar amount, stealing more money than the check was originally worth.

“Consumers individually don’t write as many checks, but businesses typically do write a lot of checks and they’re typically for a lot more. So that’s the checks that they’re going to want to intercept,” Babin said.

“And a lot of times they’ll change all the information, or they’ll change just the recipient and be able to go cash the check for the amount it was already made out for,” he continued.

Here are some tips to avoid check-washing schemes:

• Take advantage of electronic payments. This will eliminate the possibility of check-washing.
• Take precautions when mailing checks. Drop the check off at the post office instead of leaving a check in the mailbox with the flag up.
• Put a hold on your mail. Have your mail held at the post office until you return if you are going out of town.
• Use “positive pay” services. Some banks allow you to pre-authorize checks for a specific amount by their check number. This will stop scammers from withdrawing more money than the specified amount.
• Always report check fraud. Let your bank know if you think your check was intercepted in the mail. File a report with your local police department and the Postal Inspection Service .

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