Do you mail checks? You could be the next victim of bad actors in a check washing scheme. Photo illustration
The days are gone where someone can write a check, throw it in the mail and just forget about it.
Banks all over the country are warning their customers of a scam where checks are being intercepted before reaching their final destination and the payee and/or the amount is being changed. The scam is called check washing. And if the customer is not paying attention to their bank account, they could be out a lot of money.
All three banks in Nance County have seen this exact situation. It’s happened more in the past 6 months.
First Bank & Trust of Fullerton, Genoa Community Bank and Points West Community Bank are cautioning their customers about putting checks in the mail.
“If you are mailing a check, you have to hand it to someone inside the post office,” Schuyler Sharp, compliance officer with First Bank & Trust of Fullerton, said. “Do not put it in the blue boxes — especially the boxes outside — because there are ways for (criminals) to use sticky traps to get the mail out.
“We have definitely seen an association between putting mail in the blue box and checks that have been stolen,” he said.
Scott Gonsior, president of Points West Community Bank, even cautioned putting a check in a windowed envelope. If the mail can be identified as a check, there is a risk.
“We need our customers to look at the checks hitting their accounts,” he said. “They have to look at both the amount and the payee.”
Brad Wieck, president of Genoa Community Bank, said that bank customers need to review their transactions online every day to minimize the risk. Most banks offer online banking, so customers do not have to wait a month to review a bank statement.
“People who live in Nance County have lost real money,” Sharp said.
Bank customers need to report any issues to the bank as soon as they can. The longer they wait, the more liability falls on the customer and the less chance the stolen money can be retrieved.
“Don’t be embarrassed,” Pickrel said.
Wieck said that if a customer can pay online, or set up an ACH payment, it is safer than sending a check in the mail.
The scam goes beyond stolen checks being washed.
“It’s not just check washing,” Sharp said. “(Criminals) are getting ahold of a check and getting your information.”
From there, the criminals are printing their own checks with stolen banking information.
All three banks have been working with postal investigators and the Nebraska State Patrol.
“We don’t know for sure what is happening, but checks and or check information is being stolen after our customers have mailed the checks,” Kurt Pickrel, president of First Bank & Trust of Fullerton, said.
Gonsior said there have also been instances of letters, with checks, that were placed for delivery in rural mailboxes being stolen.
Derek Ryan, a postal inspector with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, said he could not comment on ongoing or potentially ongoing investigations.
“Customers are encouraged to report stolen mail as soon as possible by submitting an online complaint to the Postal Inspection Service at www.uspis.gov/report or calling 877-876-2455,” he said.
Additional Prevention Tips/Information
Customers can take several steps to protect their mail and their letter carriers, including:
• Don’t let incoming or outgoing mail sit in your mailbox. You can significantly reduce the chance of being victimized by simply removing your mail from your mailbox every day.
• Deposit outgoing mail through a number of secure manners including inside your local Post Office or at your place of business or by handing it to a letter carrier.
• Sign up for Informed Delivery and get daily digest emails that preview your mail and packages scheduled to arrive soon.
• Become involved and engaged in your neighborhood via neighborhood watches and local social media groups to spread awareness and share information.
• Keep an eye out for your letter carrier. If you see something that looks suspicious, or you see someone following your carrier, call 911.
Mail Theft Prevention Tips
Don’t leave delivered mail and packages unattended.
Just as wallets and purses shouldn’t be left on the front seat of an unlocked car overnight, mail and packages shouldn’t be left uncollected in mailboxes or on front porches for any length of time.
Customize the delivery.
If the package doesn’t fit in the mailbox and the customer won’t be home to receive it, the customer can provide delivery instructions online and authorize the carrier to leave it in a specified location. Visit USPS.com, enter the tracking number and select Delivery Instructions.
Going out of town? Hold mail at the local Post Office.
Instead of risking leaving a package or other mail unattended for an extended period of time, customers planning on being away from home for a few days are encouraged to take advantage of the Hold Mail service on USPS.com Letters and packages will be held securely at the local Post Office until the customers return.
Secure the shipment using USPS Special Services.
Signature Confirmation helps ensure the package ends up in the right hands by requiring the recipient’s first initial and last name at the time of delivery. For the most valuable packages, customers can opt for Registered Mail service. A Registered Mail® piece receives special handling from the time it’s mailed until it’s delivered, documenting the chain of custody.
Plan ahead. Ship using Hold for Pickup.
When shipping packages, customers can choose the Hold for Pickup option, and the recipients can collect the packages at their local Post Office. For customers receiving packages, they can redirect incoming packages to their local Post Office by selecting Hold for Pickup using USPS Package Intercept on USPS.com
Monitor your front door.
If you have a home security camera system, ensure it captures activity at your front door and mailbox. If you catch any mail thieves in the act, save the video and alert your local Postal Inspectors by calling 877-876-2455.