Today, much attention is focused on online and email scams and fraud. But good old-fashioned check fraud is alive and well and making a comeback.

Check fraud refers to an effort to obtain money illegally using paper or digital checks. This can include:

  • Writing a bad check on your own account or a closed account.
  • Forging a signature or endorsement on a check without authorization.
  • Stealing checks with the intent to use them for fraudulent purposes.
  • Altering or changing the information on a check.
  • Counterfeiting checks using information from a legitimate account.

Every time you write a real check, you’re giving a thief enough information to commit check fraud. Your check has important information, such as:

  • Name
  • Address
  • Phone number
  • Bank name
  • Bank account number
  • Bank routing number
  • Your signature

And, if a merchant adds your birth date or driver's license number to the back of the check, they've just provided additional information that can be used for check fraud.

So how can you protect yourself - and your checking account?

  • Pay bills online or use your financial institution's bill pay service.
  • Mail checks from inside the Post Office lobby rather than use a blue mailbox or your own mailbox.
  • Log in to your accounts frequently to review transaction histories and look for unfamiliar transactions.
  • Report unfamiliar and unauthorized transactions immediately to your financial institution.
  • Set up alerts in online banking to know when checks clear, when there's a debit to your account above a specified amount, when your account falls below a specified amount, or when a customer service representative sends you a message.

There has been an uptick in altered checks being presented to financial institutions. How can this happen? Thieves can get their hands on an actual check in a variety of ways, most notably by stealing them out of the mail.

Recently, armed thieves have been robbing postal carriers of their keys to the blue USPS mailboxes. Once they have the key, they can steal the outgoing mail in the box, including checks intended for others. They then alter the checks and present them for payment, use the information on the check to create counterfeit checks, or sell them outright online to other thieves.

Baltimore County Employees Federal Credit Union may call you to verify the legitimacy of a check if we believe there is a chance it could be fraudulent. That doesn’t mean we don’t trust you – it just means we are careful to be sure the check is real and your account is protected.

If you believe you have been the victim of check fraud contact us right away at 410-828-4730, 410-234-4730, or memberservices@bcefcu.com.