Texans Now Advised To Stop Sending Checks in The Mail

Everyone loves getting a $5 check from grandma on their birthday. Well, these days, grandmothers and everyone else should just get a Venmo account. Or, at least be aware of the risks that come with mailing checks.

While there will always be something special about getting a physical check in the mail for a special occasion, it might not be worth the potential hazards any longer. The same goes for paying bills with checks through the mail.

By sending checks through the mail, you are opening yourself up to potential fraud, warns the United States Postal Service.

Not only are criminals stealing and "washing" checks, but postal workers are at increasing risk of falling victim to thieves looking for these checks to steal.

“The men and women of the Postal Service are walking our nation’s streets every day to fulfill our mission of delivering mail and packages to the American people. Every Postal employee deserves to work in safety and to be free from targeting by criminals seeking to access the public's mail. We are hardening targets – both physical and digital – to make them less desirable to thieves and working with our law enforcement partners to bring perpetrators to justice.” - Postal Inspection Service Chief Gary Barksdale.

USPS Rolls Out Expanded Crime Prevention Measures To Crack Down on Mail Theft, Enhance Employee Safety, and Strengthen Consumer Protections.

How Does Check Washing Work?

It's pretty simple. If you've ever sent a check in the mail 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."

Click here for steps you can take to protect yourself.