How To Prevent Check Washing

Protect Yourself From Check Washing Deposit mail before last pickup. Deposit your outgoing mail in blue collection boxes before the last pickup or at your local Post Office™. Retrieve mail frequently. Never leave your mail in your mailbox overnight. Hold mail at Post Office.

How can I protect myself from check washing?

Experts say gel pens with black ink provide the best protection against check washing, since the gel ink resists chemical stripping and contains pigments which permeate the fibers of the check itself.

Can a check be washed?

Check washing is the process of erasing details from checks to allow them to be rewritten, usually for criminal purposes such as fraudulent withdrawal from the victim’s bank account. The actual process of washing a check is relatively simple and can be accomplished with basic solvents.

Why you should never write checks with a pen?

The risk of losing it or having it stolen is just too great. When writing a check, try to use a pen that can’t be erased with common elements such as nail polish remover. For example, the ink in Uni-Ball’s 207 gel pen contains color particles that get trapped in the paper, making it extremely hard to erase.

Do gel pens prevent check washing?

Help keep your workplace safe with fraud prevention gel pens featuring Super Ink which helps protect against document alteration. The pens deliver archival-quality ink that becomes trapped in paper and assists in preventing check washing.

How do criminals Wash checks?

Criminals remove the “payee” portion and the “amount”. Your signature remains intact. They use solvents such as acetone, brake fluid and bleach. Once the check is “washed”, the payee and/or the amount of the check can be altered.

Can you erase ink from a check?

Acetone, most widely used, is a highly volatile organic solvent used mainly as a hand-wipe solvent in cleaning applications. It is also a good drying agent for wet parts. But it will erase most inks from a stolen check without any noticeable effect. Bleach, used in ever day cleaning in your home.

What is used to wash checks?

Chemicals used include acetone (the most widely used), benzene, bleach, carbon tetrachloride, chloromice “T”, fox “IT”, clear correction fluids, and a high-performance eraser.

How do you remove writing from a check?

How to Remove the Writing From a Check Set the check face down on a flat surface. Fold a couple paper towels and set them on a worktable. Dip a cotton swab into a bottle of acetone. Continue to swab the check until the ink disappears completely.

What makes a Cheque invalid?

The cheque that you’ve paid in has been written incorrectly as the amount written in words and figures do not match. The cheque that has been paid in appears to have been altered and therefore cannot be paid as the cheque should have been countersigned by the issuer.

What is bleaching a check?

Bleach and other chemicals are used to manually wash checks. One popular method of obtaining legitimate checks for check washing is to drive through neighborhoods and secretly inspect outgoing mail left in curbside mailboxes.

How do you remove ink from a money order?

Use acetone to erase ink. Most nail polish remover is made of acetone, and this can be used to remove ink from paper. Apply a small amount of acetone to a cotton swab, and rub into the ink you’re trying to erase.

When should you not write a check with a pen?

Always use a pen — not a pencil — to write a check because it’s your first line of defense in making your check tamper-proof. A thief can easily erase pencil and change payee names, amount of the check, etc. From the top of the check down, here’s how to fill out a check: 1.

What is the safest pen to write checks with?

Based on recent ink security studies, we highly recommend that you use a gel pen, like the Uniball 207 that uses gel ink that contains tiny particles of color that are trapped into the paper, making check washing a lot more difficult.

Can you write a check with a Sharpie?

Always use a pen when filling out a check, never a pencil or felt-tip marker. Your signature should match the one on file at your bank.

What type of pen is best for writing checks?

Its less viscous nature allows tiny particles of pigment to actually embed themselves in the paper of a check. One of our favorites is the Metro Gel Pen, which offers contemporary styling and an especially smooth writing experience.

Can you use erasable pens on checks?

Accounting, finance and bookkeeping departments are not appropriate locations to be finding individuals using these pens. The reason is obvious – once a check or other important document is written, it can be easily changed subsequently, as the ink is erasable. The ink in these pens are heat sensitive.

What is a security pen for checks?

Benefits and Features. This comfort grip pen has a specially formulated gel ink that embeds itself to the paper fibers to help prevent against check washing and document fraud. Check washing is when criminals steal a check, wash off the ink, and adjust the “pay to” line or dollar amount.

Will acetone ruin a check?

Does acetone remove ink? Acetone is one solvent that will remove ink from paper, and if applied correctly, it does not saturate the paper as much as other solvents. Dab and rub a cotton ball dampened with the solution onto the ink on the paper; do this gently to avoid ripping or tearing the paper or over saturating it.

How do you get ink off paper without them knowing?

8 Effective Ways to Remove Ink from Paper Apply acetone or nail polish remover. Gently remove it with a razor or blade. Erase it with friction using sandpaper. Cover it with a correction tape or fluid. Conceal mistakes with Wite-Out pen. Try using an ink eraser pen. Apply rubbing alcohol. Simply use a cotton ball.

What is white washing a check?

Check washing scams involve changing the payee names and often the dollar amounts on checks and fraudulently depositing them. Occasionally, these checks are stolen from mailboxes and washed in chemicals to remove the ink. Some scammers will even use copiers or scanners to print fake copies of a check.

Can you white out a check?

Put simply, no, you should never use white out on a check. Banks consider this ‘tampering’, and therefore, will not accept it. Rather, you should cross out the mistake on the check, correct the mistake directly above it, and then initial the correction. When in doubt, you can void the check and write a new one.