What is Check Washing?
Check washing is advancing as far as technology is concerned. All a thief needs is one of your checks and then he or she can make multiple counterfeit checks to draw funds out of your account. By using a scanner, a computer and common check software, the thief can make an unlimited number of checks that will draw funds from your account.
Check washing is a technique identity thieves use to remove the written information from your check. Sometimes, the thief leaves the amount and only changes the “Pay to” information to himself. Other times, the thief alters the “Pay To” and the amount, often for several hundred or even thousands of dollars. Back in the days when checks bounced when there wasn’t enough money in the account, a washed check might not have cost you. But, since banks have gone the way of overdraft protection, we have a lot more to lose when a check gets washed. Thieves can use an array of everyday chemicals to wash a check – bleach, nail polish remover, rubbing alcohol – things that are found around your home and even on the shelves of your neighborhood Wal-Mart. They dip your check into the chemical and, in as little as five minutes, the check is completely clean. They’re free to fill in the check with whatever they wish. Many check washers use labels or other methods to preserve your original signature. H
