Do Not Send Checks Through the Mail Anymore in Utah

Are People Still Writing Checks? 

I wrote a check for the first time in years for a youth fundraiser last night. It had been so long that it took me a minute or two just to remember how it was done. The guy next to me had gone to the bank earlier in the day to ask for some blank bank ones because he never uses them. 

Needless to say, most of us aren’t carrying around a checkbook much anymore, but there are still people who keep one to send checks through the mail. They need to stop. 

Check Fraud is Increasing Dramatically 

WVIB reports that there were 680,000 cases of check fraud reported by banks last year. That is double what it was in 2021. The U.S. Postal service is reporting similar numbers of complaints about mail theft. 

Why the big increase? It began with checks mailed out to citizens during the pandemic that became a target. Now crime organizations are focused on mail fraud and authorities are warning people and businesses not to send checks through the mail. 

Banks are Aware and Have Solutions 

If you need an alternative to mailing checks, contact your bank. They are keenly aware of what is happening and are training their employees to detect fraud. They also have ways around it with pre-authorized checks called “positive pay”. 

Read More: Southern Utah Police Dispatch Scam Makes the Rounds

With all the options available and the risk of not getting the money back, it is time to stop sending checks through the mail. Hopefully there were no criminals around when I handed that check over to the youth fundraiser.