--- title: Protect Your Accounts from the Rise of Check Fraud description: Check fraud is on the rise due to criminals turning to new ways to generate money. Learn how to protect your finances from check thieves. image: https://go.hfcu.org/hubfs/Untitled%20design%20(16)-2.png --- [![MoneyWisdom_HFCU_r2](https://go.hfcu.org/hs-fs/hubfs/MoneyWisdom_HFCU_r2.png?width=464&name=MoneyWisdom_HFCU_r2.png "MoneyWisdom_HFCU_r2")](https://go.hfcu.org/blog) Filter by Category** - [Show All](https://go.hfcu.org/blog) - [Security](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/security) - [Personal Finance](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/personal-finance) - [Auto](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/auto) - [Business](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/business) - [Credit Score](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/credit-score) - [Home](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/home) - [Credit Cards](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/credit-cards) - [Life Changes](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/life-changes) - [Insurance](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/insurance) - [Investments](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/investments) Filter by Category** - [Show All](https://go.hfcu.org/blog) - [Security](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/security) - 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In this blog post, we'll explore what check fraud is, why it's on the rise, and what you can do to protect yourself and your money. ### What is Check Fraud? Check fraud is a serious problem that can result in significant financial losses and legal consequences. It's a type of financial fraud in which someone steals your personal information, such as your name, address, or bank account number to create fake checks. From there, the fraudster can withdraw your money, make purchases, or open new accounts in your name. Check fraud can also involve the theft of paper checks. Thieves can steal checks from mailboxes, then alter them so that they can be cashed or swipe blank checks from an unsuspecting victim, then fill the checks out and cash them. Financial institutions reported [a surge in suspected check fraud in 2021](https://www.fincen.gov/news/news-releases/fincen-alert-nationwide-surge-mail-theft-related-check-fraud-schemes-targeting), with over 350,000 Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) filed with The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). This trend continued in 2022, with SARs related to check fraud reaching a staggering 680,000 filings. This marks a significant increase of 23 percent from the previous year, underscoring the need for heightened vigilance and safeguards against fraudulent activities. Unfortunately, advances in technology have made it even easier for fraudsters to use phishing scams to steal personal information, contributing to this rise in check fraud. ### Why Is Check Fraud on the Rise? Technology has made it much easier for fraudsters to steal personal information, making check fraud on the rise. Phishing scams are becoming more sophisticated, making it easier for fraudsters to trick people into revealing their personal information online. Additionally, while fewer people are writing out checks, they're still a popular form of payment, making them a tempting target for fraudsters. In a recent [New York Times article](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/10/your-money/check-fraud-protection.html), experts have several theories why check fraud may becoming more prevalent. One explanation is that thieves who stole stimulus checks during COVID are looking for new streams of income now that stimulus funding has ended. Another reason is that the U.S. Postal Service's mailboxes are not secure enough to keep some criminals out of them, something the postal service is looking into remedying. ### Here's How to Protect Yourself From Check Fraud There are a number of things you can do to protect yourself from check fraud: - **Be careful about what personal information you share.** Don't give out your name, address, or bank account number to anyone you don't know or trust. If you receive a text or phone call from someone who asks forfor personal information, check with your financial institution first before giving out this information. - **Use electronic payments as much as possible**. Paying your bills electronically is simply safer because the money moves from your account to your biller's account without generating a paper check. - **Check your statements regularly**. Look for any unauthorized transactions. If you see anything suspicious, report it to your credit union immediately. - **If you write checks, use checks that have security features.  **Microprinting and watermarks make counterfeiting and altering more difficult. - **Mail paper checks at the post office counter or lobby box.** Do not place them in your mailbox for a postal worker to pick up or mail them at a freestanding post box where they can be stolen. - **Don't sign blank checks. **Only sign checks when you're ready to use them. - **Shred checks you no longer need. **This will help to prevent fraudsters from stealing your personal information from the checks or use those checks to steal money. In conclusion, check fraud is a serious problem that affects millions of people each year. By following these tips, you can help to protect yourself from becoming a victim. If you suspect check fraud with an account at Hanscom FCU, call us immediately at (800) 656-4328 so that we may secure your account. Stay alert, stay informed, and stay safe! [![I want to learn more about Financial Wellness coaching!](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/118438/6b59d321-82c4-484d-a8f5-c9fa4d801ad0.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/118438/6b59d321-82c4-484d-a8f5-c9fa4d801ad0)   *Others are reading:* - [Traveling This Summer? 9 Credit Card Tips to Know](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/traveling-this-summer-9-credit-card-tips-to-know) - [How to Avoid the Latest Financial Scam: AI Voice Cloning](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/ai-voice-cloning-scam) - [What You Need to Know About Buy Now, Pay Later Financing](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/what-you-need-to-know-about-buy-now-pay-later-financing) - [How to Avoid a Romance Scam](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/how-to-avoid-a-romance-scam) - [6 Costly Mistakes You're Making With Your Bills](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/6-costly-mistakes-you-can-make-with-your-bills) ** [Security](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/security), [Fraud](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/fraud) [** How to Avoid ID Theft Over the Holidays ](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/bid/155005/don-t-let-identity-theft-ruin-your-holidays) [** How to Buy a Home With No Money Down ](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/how-to-buy-a-home-with-no-money-down) ### About Author ![Hanscom Federal Credit Union](https://go.hfcu.org/hubfs/HFCU-Profile-1000x1000.jpg) Hanscom Federal Credit Union Hanscom Federal Credit Union, a purpose-driven $1.9 billion organization based in Littleton, MA, empowers its members to achieve financial wellness. Hanscom FCU serves over 95,000 members across the country and overseas through 16 branches, over 100,000 surcharge-free ATMs, 5,000 contact centers, and a web-based branch. Related Posts [![How to Avoid ID Theft Over the Holidays](https://go.hfcu.org/hubfs/Blog%20Photos%20800%20x%20800px%20(1)-1.png) How to Avoid ID Theft Over the Holidays ](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/bid/155005/don-t-let-identity-theft-ruin-your-holidays) [![How to Avoid the Latest Financial Scam: AI Voice Cloning](https://go.hfcu.org/hubfs/Blog%20Photos%20800%20x%20800px-1.png) How to Avoid the Latest Financial Scam: AI Voice Cloning ](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/ai-voice-cloning-scam) [![How to Avoid a Romance Scam](https://go.hfcu.org/hubfs/older%20couple%20on%20park%20bench.png) How to Avoid a Romance Scam ](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/how-to-avoid-a-romance-scam) ** - [**](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://go.hfcu.org/blog/protect-your-accounts-from-the-rise-of-check-fraud/) - [**](https://X.com/share?url=https://go.hfcu.org/blog/protect-your-accounts-from-the-rise-of-check-fraud/) - [**](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://go.hfcu.org/blog/protect-your-accounts-from-the-rise-of-check-fraud/&summary=&source=CeBIT) ## You are Leaving Hanscom Federal Credit Union #### **Please read the following before proceeding to:** The website you are about to visit is solely the responsibility of the merchant or other party providing the site. 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The Credit Union Privacy Policy does not apply to this third-party site, and for further information you should consult the privacy disclosures of the third-party site. ### Comment ### Subscribe To Blog ### Subscribe to Email Updates ### contact **Hanscom Federal Credit Union** 1610 Eglin St. Hanscom AFB, MA 01731 Call us: [800-656-4328](tel:8006564328) [https://www.hfcu.org/](https://www.hfcu.org/) ### About Us [The MoneyWisdom Blog](https://www.hfcu.org/the-moneywisdom-blog.html) ### Social ** ## You are Leaving Hanscom Federal Credit Union #### **Please read the following before proceeding to:** ### https://www.facebook.com/HanscomFederalCreditUnion The website you are about to visit is solely the responsibility of the merchant or other party providing the site. The content of this third-party site, including materials and information, is solely the responsibility of the provider of the site. The Credit Union is not responsible for any such third-party content. Any transactions that you enter into with a vendor, merchant or other party that you access through this third-party site are solely between you and that vendor, merchant or other party. The Credit Union does not endorse the content contained in this third-party site, nor the organization publishing the site, and hereby disclaims any responsibility for such content. The Credit Union Privacy Policy does not apply to this third-party site, and for further information you should consult the privacy disclosures of the third-party site. ## You are Leaving Hanscom Federal Credit Union #### **Please read the following before proceeding to:** ### https://X.com/HanscomFCU The website you are about to visit is solely the responsibility of the merchant or other party providing the site. The content of this third-party site, including materials and information, is solely the responsibility of the provider of the site. The Credit Union is not responsible for any such third-party content. Any transactions that you enter into with a vendor, merchant or other party that you access through this third-party site are solely between you and that vendor, merchant or other party. The Credit Union does not endorse the content contained in this third-party site, nor the organization publishing the site, and hereby disclaims any responsibility for such content. The Credit Union Privacy Policy does not apply to this third-party site, and for further information you should consult the privacy disclosures of the third-party site. ## You are Leaving Hanscom Federal Credit Union #### **Please read the following before proceeding to:** ### https://www.instagram.com/hanscomfcu/ The website you are about to visit is solely the responsibility of the merchant or other party providing the site. The content of this third-party site, including materials and information, is solely the responsibility of the provider of the site. The Credit Union is not responsible for any such third-party content. Any transactions that you enter into with a vendor, merchant or other party that you access through this third-party site are solely between you and that vendor, merchant or other party. The Credit Union does not endorse the content contained in this third-party site, nor the organization publishing the site, and hereby disclaims any responsibility for such content. The Credit Union Privacy Policy does not apply to this third-party site, and for further information you should consult the privacy disclosures of the third-party site. ## You are Leaving Hanscom Federal Credit Union #### **Please read the following before proceeding to:** ### https://www.linkedin.com/company/hanscomfcu/ The website you are about to visit is solely the responsibility of the merchant or other party providing the site. The content of this third-party site, including materials and information, is solely the responsibility of the provider of the site. The Credit Union is not responsible for any such third-party content. Any transactions that you enter into with a vendor, merchant or other party that you access through this third-party site are solely between you and that vendor, merchant or other party. The Credit Union does not endorse the content contained in this third-party site, nor the organization publishing the site, and hereby disclaims any responsibility for such content. 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The Credit Union does not endorse the content contained in this third-party site, nor the organization publishing the site, and hereby disclaims any responsibility for such content. The Credit Union Privacy Policy does not apply to this third-party site, and for further information you should consult the privacy disclosures of the third-party site. ### Popular Posts [What You Need to Know About Putting Your Home in a Trust](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/what-you-need-to-know-about-putting-your-home-in-a-trust) ![older man looking at top retirement worry on digital device](https://go.hfcu.org/hubfs/Untitled%20design%20-%202022-02-10T072804.753.jpg) [What You Need to Know About Your Federal Tax Bracket](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/what-you-need-to-know-about-your-tax-bracket) ![older man looking at top retirement worry on digital device](https://go.hfcu.org/hubfs/Untitled%20design%20-%202021-03-22T123305.900.jpg) [6 Boat Types to Get on the Water](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/6-boat-types-to-get-on-the-water) ![older man looking at top retirement worry on digital device](https://go.hfcu.org/hubfs/images/Jet_Ski.jpg) [23 Organizations Dedicated to the Needs of Seniors](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/23-organizations-dedicated-to-the-needs-of-seniors) ![older man looking at top retirement worry on digital device](https://go.hfcu.org/hubfs/Senior%20citizens.jpg) [9 Smart Moves for Lottery Winners](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/lottery) ![older man looking at top retirement worry on digital device](https://go.hfcu.org/hubfs/images/lottery_winner.jpg) ### Recent Posts - [![National Credit Union Administration](https://go.hfcu.org/hs-fs/hubfs/NCUA-logo-small.png?width=95&name=NCUA-logo-small.png) ](https://www.ncua.gov/) [![Equal Housing Lender](https://go.hfcu.org/hs-fs/hubfs/EHL-logo-small.png?width=65&name=EHL-logo-small.png)](https://www.hud.gov/fairhousing) - @ 2023 [Hanscom Federal Credit Union](https://www.hfcu.org/) - Federally insured by the National Credit Union Administration. - [Privacy Policy](https://www.hfcu.org/content/docs/Privacy_Notice.pdf) **Disclosure:** Hanscom Federal Credit Union does not provide and is not responsible for any products, services, or overall website content available at any third-party sites linked within this blog. Moreover, Hanscom Federal Credit Union's privacy policies do not apply to any of the linked websites within this blog. Please consult the privacy disclosures on those linked sites for further information. ```json { "@context" : "http://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Hanscom Federal Credit Union" }, "dateModified" : "December 31, 2023, 3:31:00 PM", "datePublished" : "2023-12-31 15:31:00", "description" : "Check fraud is on the rise due to criminals turning to new ways to generate money. Learn how to protect your finances from check thieves.", "headline" : "Protect Your Accounts from the Rise of Check Fraud", "image" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://118438.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/118438/Untitled%20design%20%2816%29-2.png" }, "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://go.hfcu.org/blog/protect-your-accounts-from-the-rise-of-check-fraud", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/118438/Logo%202.jpg" }, "name" : "Hanscom Federal Credit Union" } } ```