Have you ever sent a check that was cashed, but the recipient said it never arrived? You may be the victim of check washing. 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. In fact, Postal Inspectors recover more than $1 billion in counterfeit checks and money orders every year, but you can take steps to protect yourself.

• 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

  If you’re going on vacation, have your mail held at the Post Office or have it picked up by a friend or neighbor.

• Use the Right Pen

  Write checks using black gel ink (gel ink absorbs into paper and is harder to wash off than ballpoint ink).