It’s estimated that about 55% of Americans still write checks.
And even if you don’t write checks, you still likely receive checks in the mail.
In fact, so many people receive checks in the mail it led to a 400% increase in check fraud last year.
It’s an old-school crime that thieves are increasingly performing these days.
In fact, in 2023 check thieves stole more than $26 billion from Americans.
A prime example is Melissa F., who lives in Seattle…
One day she checked her mail to find a letter from the United States Postal Service informing her that mail in her area had been stolen.
The Postal Inspector in Seattle said thieves stole mail from a mail truck and mailboxes in the area.
The stolen mail wasn’t recovered.
“We were able to contact pretty much anybody who would have been or may have been affected by it,” said the U.S. Postal Inspector in Seattle.
The letter apologized for the incident.
“Mail theft is really, it’s a financial crime in the end. We always ask people to keep an eye on their bank statements, credit card statements, and anything like that,” added the postal inspector.
The culprits can get the banking info from checks and try to access the account for their nefarious purposes.
As for mailboxes, thieves break into the large, locked boxes or go door to door checking individual boxes after the mail carrier has left.
Oftentimes the thieves will follow the mail carriers in their car.
“Our package box, someone tried to get into it, and they broke the lock. They do things like that,” Melissa said.
Melissa and her husband are to the point where they have to wait for the mailman and check their mail immediately after it’s delivered.
Considering how check fraud is skyrocketing, here are a few things you can do to protect yourself.
Informed delivery:
The USPS offers a free service called Informed Delivery.
It’s a way to track the mail that is expected to arrive in your mailbox.
Every morning you receive an email from the USPS that includes an image of every piece of mail that is coming to you.
That way, if you go get the mail late at night you will know whether or not a check is missing.
Plus, if all you are receiving that day is junk mail it won’t be a priority to get it.
Monitor your bank accounts:
Too many people don’t check their bank or credit card statements. I know it’s a pain to do but it should be done monthly at the very least.
The postal inspector said it best…
Thieves aren’t after the birthday card grandma sent you, they’re after the check inside.
If you notice the birthday card is missing, you need to alert grandma to watch her bank account.
Talk to your bank:
Banks are trying to prevent check fraud by having strict deposit policies.
Contact your bank and ask them if they can add extended hold times on check deposits.
As much as you want your money right away, if your bank holds onto your check an extra day it can help catch fraud.
Fraud resistant pens:
One low tech way to prevent check fraud is to use fraud resistant pens.
The pen is designed to prevent the ink from being altered.
You see, criminals will usually wash stolen checks to remove the ink and then write them to themselves.
But a gel pen can reduce the ease of doing this.
One such pen is the Uni-ball 207 gel pen, and a four pack of this pen sells for about $10.
So, it’s a cheap way to reduce the chance of fraud.
Check-writing won’t be going away anytime soon, so if any checks go missing from your mail you should alert your bank, the police, and the USPS.
