Every year, the number of mail theft complaints increase and scammers are continuing to find new ways to steal unopened mail and even paper checks that are included in the mail. By getting their hands on these important documents, your personal and financial information is a lot more in their reach than you may think. It’s crucial to take these extra precautions to better protect yourself in order to not fall victim.
How to Protect Your Mail
- Retrieve your mail promptly every day or ask a trusted person to do so for you
- Do not leave any outgoing mail with a method of payment such as a check, in your mailbox
- Sign up for free Informed Delivery® to receive an email that shows incoming mail so you know what can be expected to arrive each day
- If you’ll be out of town for an extended period of time, submit a request to have the post office hold your mail until you return home
- Make the switch to paperless billing so important bills are never in your mailbox
- Drop outgoing mail in the official mail slots at your Post Office instead of putting them in your mailbox for pick up
- Consider using security envelopes to conceal your mail’s contents
- Report any suspected mail theft to local law enforcement immediately
In addition to fraudsters attempting to steal your important items, they are also targeting paper checks that are sent through the mail. If you mailed a check that the recipient never received, but it shows as cashed, a scammer may have gotten their hands on it. Once they have the check you tried to send by mail, they usually try to “wash” the check using chemicals which allows them to alter the monetary amount or even worse, make the payee themselves. Then, they can easily deposit or cash the check and steal your money.
How to Protect Your Checks
- Do not write your personal details on checks, such as your social security number, credit card information, etc.
- Do not leave blank spaces in the payee or amount fields on checks
- Write out checks using black ink only as it is more difficult to wash checks that have black ink
- Use mobile or online banking to make electronic payments instead
- Follow up with the payee to confirm that they received your check or payment
What to do if You’ve Fallen Victim
- Report it to the United States Postal Inspection Service
- Report any fraud incidents to:
- Your local police department
- Federal Trade Commission
- Your Financial Institution
- Set up Fraud Alerts on your bank accounts and monitor them closely
As a community bank, we are here to help you spot scams to avoid falling victim and get back on your feet if your personal and financial information is compromised or stolen. For more tips on protecting your information, read more of our Privacy & Cybersecurity blogs to help protect yourself and your information from other types of scams.