Important News: Three Simple Steps To Avoid the Scam ‘Check Washing’
Check Washing Scam Continues To Be A Problem For Many
It’s probably no surprise to anyone that cyber/online security and fraud continue to be an ongoing concern. New schemes and scammers continue to proliferate the landscape. The latest scam on the rise again is important to be aware of because, as with any fraudulent activity, there are some simple yet smart steps you can take as a consumer to help deter scammers.
Check Washing – What Is It?
Check washing is the process of taking a check and using chemicals to remove the ink in order to replace a new name and/or dollar amount on the check and then fraudulently depositing them. It’s happening more and more often. Often the checks are taken right from mailboxes. Sometimes copies and scanners are used to print completely fraudulent checks. In fact the US Postal service recovers more than a billion dollars’ worth of counterfeit checks and money orders every year.
What Can You Do To Help Prevent Check Washing? Three Simple Steps:
Seneca Savings takes precautions and knows what to look for. But there are actions you as a consumer can take as well.
- Deposit your mail just before the last postal pickup
- Retrieve your mail frequently
- Ask the postal office to hold your mail
Protect yourself and your money. Check your accounts consistently. We recommend daily. Be smart about your mail and alert Seneca Savings immediately if you suspect anything may be amiss with your accounts. Here’s a link if you’d like to learn more about check washing and ways to avoid this type of scam.
