<p>While it's now common to pay your bills online or <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href=" target="_blank">sign up for autopay</a>, some of us still prefer to mail checks. With whichever approach, though, there are always some associated risks: Hackers can gain access to your information online, but thieves can also swipe physical checks <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href=" target="_blank">right from the mail</a>. If you're paying checks the traditional way, you'll want to pay attention to new tips from a U.S. Postal Service (USPS), specifically those that will keep your hard earned money safe. Learn how to write and send checks to prevent theft.</p>
<p><strong>RELATED: <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href=" target="_blank">USPS Just Issued a New Warning About Mailing Cash</a>.</strong></p>
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<div class="title">There's been an uptick in mail theft and check fraud.</div>
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<p><img decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-332528" src=" alt="TROY, MICHIGAN – AUGUST 13, 2019: USPS mailbox beside sidewalk" width="500" height="355" /></p>
<p>Back in February, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) <a rel="noopener noreferrer external nofollow" href=" target="_blank" data-citation="true">issued an alert</a> about a "nationwide surge in mail-theft related to check fraud schemes," noting that the number of check fraud reports filed by banks doubled from 2021 to 2022.</p>
<p>In a recent interview with Federal News Network, Postal Inspector <strong>Michael</strong> <strong>Martel</strong>, of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), reiterated the "alarming" <a rel="noopener noreferrer external nofollow" href=" target="_blank">uptick in robberies</a> of on-duty letter carriers. Thieves often search for their arrow key when robbing mail carriers. These keys allow thieves to open blue collection containers and take mail and packages, including checks.</p>
<p>FinCEN warns that thieves steal these checks, and then alter them with their names or accounts. This process is called check washing. The bad actors will also increase the value of the checks before cashing them.</p>
<p>The USPS and USPIS are introducing measures to deter thieves, but when it comes to sending checks through the mail, there are a few precautions you can take, too.</p>
<p><strong>RELATED: <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href=" target="_blank">See a Sticker on Your Mailbox? Don't Touch It, USPS Says</a>.</strong></p>
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<div class="title">Be mindful of how you send and receive mail.</div>
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<p><img decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-395416" src=" alt="Typical american outdoors mailbox for USPS on suburban street side." width="500" height="333" /></p>
<p>To prevent checks from being pilfered from outside your own home, don't leave mail sitting in your mailbox.</p>
<p>"You can significantly reduce the chance of being victimized simply by removing mail from your mailbox every day," Martel told Federal News Network, noting that sending checks out from your local post office is also a good idea.</p>
<p>Tracking your mail through USPS' <a rel="noopener noreferrer external nofollow" href=" target="_blank" data-citation="true">Informed Delivery</a> feature is helpful as well, Martel said. According to the agency's website, the feature will send you photos of the mail and packages that will be delivered to you that day.</p>
<p><strong>RELATED: <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href=" target="_blank">USPS Is Getting Rid of These Mailing Options</a>.</strong></p>
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<div class="title">Consider how you write your checks, too.</div>
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<p><img decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-498988" src=" alt="gel pen on white background" width="500" height="333" /></p>
<p>To keep your checks safe as they go through the mail system, consider the writing instrument you're using. While you may reach for your standard ballpoint, <strong>Ryan Moody</strong>, senior vice president of payments product management at Vericast, told Federal News Network that there's a better choice.</p>
<p>According to Moody, checks filled out with a gel pen are harder for fraudsters to "wash." This is due to the way that the ink is absorbed into the paper.</p>
<p>"When those chemicals get applied to a check that has that ink absorbed into the paper, those chemicals don't stand much of a chance against that, so it's very easy to see that check has been modified," Moody told Federal News Network.</p>
<p>As Premier Community Bank explains, gel pens have pigments "<a rel="noopener noreferrer external nofollow" href=" target="_blank">suspended in water-based gel</a>," which means that they're resistant to most chemicals used in check washing. This kind of ink is able to bind to the paper better, unlike oil-based ink that settles on the paper's surface and is washed off easily as a result. Gel ink dries quicker, too, and doesn't smear, so your handwriting is more legible and durable.</p>
<p><strong>RELATED: <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href=" target="_blank">USPS Warns "Mail Service Could Be Halted"—Even If You're Following the Rules</a>.</strong></p>
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<p><img decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-475645" src=" alt="April 04 2023: A USPS postal worker collects the outgoing mail at a drive thru drop off box." width="500" height="334" /></p>
<p>While you head to the office supply store for some tamper-proof pens, the USPS are USPIS are also working to keep your mail and your checks safe.</p>
<p>"The core mission of the Postal Inspection Service is the sanctity and security of the U.S. mail, Postal Service employees and the customers themselves. We want the American people to have the utmost faith that if they're dropping that bill payment into the mail stream, it will absolutely arrive to its destination. That's one of our top priorities," Martel told Federal News Network.</p>
<p>Almost 50,000 collection boxes will soon be outfitted with electronic locks, while others will require additional authentication to access, hopefully discouraging key theft from mail carriers, Federal News Network reported.</p>
<p>"What that does is it devalues the key. It devalues the very thing those criminals looking to rob our letter carriers are after in the first place." Martel spoke to the outlet. "We're looking to increase safety for our letter carriers by employing a technological approach to the issue and really devalue those keys that we've seen in the past."</p>
<p>On top of this, Martel said that agencies are being more vigilant with local cases and arresting bad actors.</p>
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The post USPS Inspector Reveals how to mail checks to avoid theft appeared first on Best Life.
