An increase in fraudulently written checks has been detected by an area Sheriff's department recently.
White County Sheriff Rick Kelley is posting throughout social media that they are seeing a large increase in stolen mail, which is fueling more thefts of personal checks.
Thieves are reportedly using, "check washing" techniques--the removal of names and dollar amounts from personal checks, through chemicals to erase ink and create blank checks.
Sheriff Kelley's office says thieves then re-write dollar amounts and payee names for teh purpose of depositing the fraudulent checks into undetected bank accounts that they create separately.
White County Sheriff's Office is offering suggestions on how to prevent thefts of personal checks:
- Utilize online banking to pay bills, whenever possible.
- If you are mailing out a check, utilize a pen with BLACK GEL INK for permanent imprint.
- Check accounts regulary for irregular, suspicious or unauthorized activity.
If you become a victim of check and mail fraud, immediately contact your bank service provider and your local law enforcement agency with complete details. Also, contact the United States Postal Inspector's Office at 1-888-877-7644 with full details.
