Why You Need To NOT Send Checks In The Mail In New York

If you're planning on mailing checks across New York State, you'll want to reconsider doing that now.

Watch Out For Check Fraud

Here's the deal- fraudsters know that people are still mailing checks. The number of checks in the mail rises during the holiday season. Makes sense right? In many cases, criminals will find a way to fish checks out of one of the United States Postal Service’s blue mailboxes, or even from your own mailbox. The US Government Accountability Office revealed there were nearly 1,200 serious crimes committed against their carriers in 2023, including 400 assaults.

There has been an increase in letter carrier robberies nationwide where criminals are targeting letter carriers for their Arrow and Modified Arrow Lock (MAL) Keys. Criminals use Arrow and MAL keys to steal mail from secure mail receptacles to commit financial crimes, including altering checks to commit check fraud. To make Arrow Keys less valuable for criminals, the Postal Service will replace 49,000 antiquated arrow locks with electronic locks. New locks have been installed in select cities with installation to occur in additional major metropolitan areas soon.

 

Watch Out For Check Washing In New York

The United States Postal Inspection Service says they’ve seen a steep increase of a crime called “check washing” over the last four years. There are chemicals out there that can dissolve the ink from the pen you used to fill in the name of the check’s payee and the amount the check was originally written for. So instead of sending your niece $100 for her Sweet 16, you just sent a scammer $1,000.

If You Do Need To Mail Checks Still

The Better Business Bureau recommends using a pen with long-lasting “gel ink.” That same ink that’s nearly impossible to get out of your clothes or carpet doesn’t come off a check easily, either.

The USPS suggested bringing your check into a secure post office instead of using one of their blue boxes or leaving it in your mailbox for your carrier to pick-up. The closer to the final pick-up time you can drop off that envelope, the safer you are. If you’ve missed the final pick-up, wait till the next day.