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More Check Washing Theft

 

All hands,
 
Gerard Leval, a Washington lawyer and author, has a disturbing OpEd in today's Wall Street Journal describing how a check he mailed to DC for a tax payment was stolen and cashed by a thief. According to Leval, DC, bank and postal authorities had to be dragged into any kind of action. It's another instance in what has become all too common a crime followed by a half-hearted response.
 
I wonder if United Parcel Service is a good substitute when sending a substantial check by mail. Using electronic means to transfer funds is a good alternative, when available. Aggressively going after mail pirates apparently isn't on, according to Leval.
 
 
John N. 
 

 
As a victim to this exact crime myself (except it was to the IRS instead of DC), I HIGHLY recommend these two steps:
 
1. Arrange with IRS for regular withdrawals directly from your bank acccout
2. Sign up for an account DC treasurer. They won't auto withdraw, but you can use it like an online bill pay for each quarterly payment
 
I have done this and have had no problems.
 
Sarah on Macomb
 
- original message -
All hands,
Gerard Leval, a Washington lawyer and author, has a disturbing OpEd in today's Wall Street Journal describing how a check he mailed to DC for a tax payment was stolen and cashed by a thief. According to Leval, DC, bank and postal authorities had to be dragged into any kind of action. It's another instance in what has become all too common a crime followed by a half-hearted response.
I wonder if United Parcel Service is a good substitute when sending a substantial check by mail. Using electronic means to transfer funds is a good alternative, when available. Aggressively going after mail pirates apparently isn't on, according to Leval.
 

 
UPS will not insure a cheque... I ended up wiring funds to a relative as a gift after finding that out. No way I was going to send it through the mail.  
 
It’s crazy that it’s come to this!
 
Kim
King Place
 
- original message -
All hands,
Gerard Leval, a Washington lawyer and author, has a disturbing OpEd in today's Wall Street Journal describing how a check he mailed to DC for a tax payment was stolen and cashed by a thief. According to Leval, DC, bank and postal authorities had to be dragged into any kind of action. It's another instance in what has become all too common a crime followed by a half-hearted response.
I wonder if United Parcel Service is a good substitute when sending a substantial check by mail. Using electronic means to transfer funds is a good alternative, when available. Aggressively going after mail pirates apparently isn't on, according to Leval.
 

Stop using personal checks! Instead, pay by bank check from your own bank, which you can easily do online.
Personal checks take a lot more processing rigmarole for banks also. Even paying tax bills by credit card makes more sense.
 
Steph Gerard
 
- previous message -
UPS will not insure a cheque... I ended up wiring funds to a relative as a gift after finding that out. No way I was going to send it through the mail.  
It’s crazy that it’s come to this!
 

Me, too.

I am disappointed to learn this form of criminality continues, apparently on a large scale.
 
Since our experience with check fraud involving theft from the mail in February (no loss to us, thanks to the fraud unit at Bank of America), we have found security in the ACH function of our checking account. I use it for payments to vendors, family, and Federal and D.C. taxes, etc. No hiccups yet.

Sid Booth
Mount Pleasant
 

How unfortunate. 
 
The gold-standard response to this form of fraud, of course, is to simply quit mailing checks, and use electronic payments, in which you give the payee permission to take the funds directly out of your bank account. No paper, no postage, nothing but swift invisible funds transfer. I always found check-writing, mailing, and checkbook tending tedious, so I adapted to electronic payment readily and gratefully.
 
But even I, though a sworn enemy of check mailing, have a few bills each year that I cannot pay by electronic transfer of funds and I must only pay by sending a check. So for those few payees, I have found useful the guidance put out by the ABA, pasted in below, on how to safely write checks. Click the link, or google ABA PRACTICE CHECK SAFETY GUIDE.
 
Key among the recommendations:
 
— Use a permanent gel pen to write checks (the ink from gel pens permeate the paper and cannot be rinsed off); and
— Fill in all spaces on the paper check completely, so fraudsters cannot rewrite them to change your intended numbers and names.
 

PLEASE OBSERVE & SHARE WITH ALL YOU CAN

View/Download the ABA simple Safe Checks Guide
-- 7 Proven Steps to Protect Yourself

  1. Use Permanent Gel Pens only
    Unlike standard inks, gel's absorbed into the paper!
  2. Avoid Blank Spaces/Fill them in so criminals can’t
  3. Withhold Personal Information
  4. Review/Monitor your Accounts regularly
  5. Check Your Checks
  6. Regularly review your paid checks (online?) 
    Ensure the endorsement, amount and  payee are correct
  7. Use CASH when you can (to save merchants card fees)
    or Digital Payment Options     (also most carefully)
 
The guidelines don’t say this, but I suspect an addressed envelope written in permanent gel ink may be a disincentive for thieves to open. 
 
Nevertheless, anyone who can avoid writing a paper check should do so. Paper checks are buggy whips. 
 
Nancy Roth
 

I write all my checks with a sharpie. How is this not permanent?
 
Sarah
 
- from previous message -
[snip]
Unlike standard inks, gel's absorbed into the paper!
[snip]
 

Sharpie and other inks can be easily dissolved with rubbing alcohol or nail polish remover. Works great on clothing stains! Unfortunately, it also works on paper. 
 
Meghan
Conn. Ave. 
 
- previous message -
I write all my checks with a sharpie. How is this not permanent?

- from previous message -
[snip]
Use Permanent Gel Pens ( https://duckduckgo.com/?q=safe+check+writing+pens&t=newext&ia=web ) only
Unlike standard inks, gel's absorbed into the paper!
[snip]

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