Anyone against sending checks through the mail?

[Healthy Lifestyle]

Just read that the U.S. Postal Service has a new warning to not send checks through the mail as more of them are getting stolen (cbsnews.com).


My DW manages the everyday bills and likes to pay the utility bills by writing out checks and sending through the mail.

I have always questioned this, as I would probably use Bill Pay (Apple Pay) to avoiding the mailing process, but is it any safer than mailing a check?

Is the e-r.o group sending your utility bills and checks through postal service mail?

 

[njhowie]

Our family-run mom and pop trash disposal service still sends a bill in the mail, still requires sending a check back. They bill quarterly, I send a check for a full year at a time and they deduct from it through the year.

They promised a few years ago they were upgrading and would come in to the current century as far as online bill payment, etc. But that seems to have fallen on to the back burner.

 

[Sojourner]

I have always questioned this, as I would probably use Bill Pay (Apple Pay) to avoiding the mailing process, but is it any safer than mailing a check?

IMHO, using "bill pay" (via online banking) is much safer and easier than mailing a written check.

 

[Midpack]

IMHO, using "bill pay" (via online banking) is much safer and easier than mailing a written check.

With a few very rare exceptions, we haven't paid with much less mailed a check for routine services like utilities in at least 15 years. We auto-pay or bill-pay everything we can, and pay anything else online.

Just out of curiosity I just looked back and we've written a total of 1 check this year, to a semi retired electrician.

90% of what we get via USPS is junk mail anyway, they could drop delivery to once/week and it wouldn't hurt us - though I realize there are some people who are more reliant on USPS. We do everything we can to discourage sending or getting snail mail.

 

[Sojourner]

90% of what we get via USPS is junk mail anyway, they could drop delivery to once/week and it wouldn't hurt us - though I realize there are some people who are more reliant on USPS.

+1

 

[Sunset]

IMHO, using "bill pay" (via online banking) is much safer and easier than mailing a written check.

+1

I pay everything I can via my main bank online.

Checks are very unsafe to send. About 20 years ago, I heard about check washing, so tried it (on my own check), and it was too easy... very scary.

Wash off the recipient name and change it, BINGO.. free money.

If it's a small check, wash the amount too , so it can be bigger , BINGO..

 

[athena53]

IMHO, using "bill pay" (via online banking) is much safer and easier than mailing a written check.

I'm the Garden Club Treasurer and still have to mail checks from the Club account for membership to the State and the District. Tedious. At least now I've brought them into the 21st century by getting bank statements on-line and using the app to deposit checks from members and have just attached a Square account to the bank account so we can take credit cards.

I rarely write checks anymore. I love on-line bill pay but aren't some of those just checks the bank puts in the mail, especially those to small local businesses (as opposed to, say, Citigroup or Amex)?

One article I read this morning on the subject suggested using gel pens- apparently that ink is harder to wash out. They also suggested filling in every possible blank space ("Apex Landscaping--------------------------") with dashes as necessary and filling out the Memo line to make it harder to wash completely.

 

[Healthy Lifestyle]

I definitely see the benefits of bill pay. I have always said to dw that if I managed the daily bills I would take advantage of paying online.

Midpack I agree that "90% of what we get via USPS is junk mail anyway, they could drop delivery to once/week and it wouldn't hurt us - though I realize there are some people who are more reliant on USPS."

 

[MichaelB]

Is the USPS really suggesting people not mail checks? I’m skeptical. There are many recent news reports, but no actual quotes that are attributed to USPS.

I did read 2 media reports that suggest payment apps are safer. Given the reported difficulty people are having recovering funds sent by Zelle, I think that’s a poor alternative.

 

[harley]

I still send a few checks in the mail. Our various lawn service companies are all small business people and require mailed checks, so that's a dozen or so a year. I've got a couple of bigger companies that should have online bill pay, but don't. I've never looked into having my bank do the bill paying. I either have things on autopay or I sign in and pay the bill online on their site. I've never had a check stolen, but now that y'all have brought it up I think I'll look into the bank bill payment option for the few remaining bills that I can't pay online myself.

 

[Spock]

The response to mail theft of "just pay online" reminds me of "what, me worry?"

Physical stores are closing due to high losses from "organized shoplifting".
Response: "who needs stores? just do like I do and buy online"

Thieves don't just steal checks.

If we as a society can no longer cost effectively secure the mail, what happens when the same happens to UPS, FedEx, etc. when package delivery is targeted like freight trains in LA?

 

[Healthy Lifestyle]

MichaelB: "Is the USPS really suggesting people not mail checks? I’m skeptical. There are many recent news reports, but no actual quotes that are attributed to USPS.

I did read 2 media reports that suggest payment apps are safer. Given the reported difficulty people are having recovering funds sent by Zelle, I think that’s a poor alternative."


Here is one of the links below:

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-postal-service-warning-checks-mail-fraud-theft/

 

[RetiredAndLovingIt]

Mailbox theft is rampant nowadays, autopay or paying online is the way to go.
It was more than ten years ago when I got a call from a branch of my bank about 50 miles away wanting to verify a check that someone was trying to cash. The check had been "washed" I wrote it for $l6 or $17 for a medical bill copay and had been changed to a couple of hundred and made put to CASH and it was pretty clear to the bank that the check had been tampered with which is why they called me. As they were talking to me the guy ran out of the bank and they never caught him. That was the last time I ever used my mailbox for outgoing mail.

 

[SecondCor521]

I recently mailed a large check to my sister across the country via the post office. It never arrived. Decided to send a second one, which did arrive. If that second one had also been lost I would have made other non-check-mailing arrangements.

Now there's a check floating out there somewhere, and I'll need to keep my eye on that account for a while to make sure the missing check doesn't get fraudulently washed and/or cashed. Annoying.

This is the only time I've ever had a check gone missing in the mail as far as I can recall.

(I tried to do a stop payment. It was a check written on a Vanguard account, and they didn't know how to do a stop payment. They did seem to confirm that if the check was fraudulently cashed that we wouldn't be out the money.)

...

Personally, I have everything possible on auto-pay and paperless. Family and friends are almost all on Paypal or Zelle or Venmo.

When I do mail a check or anything sensitive, I usually drop it in a post office box at the local post office processing station.

I've written three checks this year so far.

 

[TrvlBug]

I still write checks, however, drop them off either at the main post office (inside, not the blue boxes outside) or the local UPS store where our main mail comes. We only get junk mail and magazines at our residence address due to mail theft. I also write checks for the entire year where I can and run a credit balance until the following year. If allowed, such as the electric/gas company and the fee is less than my cc cash back, I charge the payment. I also use a gel pen.

 

[Lakedog]

Still pay a couple of small bills by check (water, trash) but typically drop inside the local post office since it is conveniently located next to a grocery store. I have never had an issue mailing checks via USPS.

 

[audreyh1]

With on-line bill pay and mobile deposit I almost never mail checks, however the bank still mails checks to a few of the bill pay recipients, most are electronic transfers. Over 15 years I’ve probably had 3 of those lost in the mail and the bank dealt with it promptly at no extra charge. Fortunately none of these sprayed into washed check etc. Anything that I personally mail I do so at post office.

Overall yes, I avoid mailing stuff.

 

[MichaelB]

MichaelB: "Is the USPS really suggesting people not mail checks? I’m skeptical. There are many recent news reports, but no actual quotes that are attributed to USPS.

I did read 2 media reports that suggest payment apps are safer. Given the reported difficulty people are having recovering funds sent by Zelle, I think that’s a poor alternative."


Here is one of the links below:

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-postal-service-warning-checks-mail-fraud-theft/

Yes, thanks. Note, the USPS is not suggesting people not use the mail for checks, but CBS seems to be saying that.

The CBS story does have a link to a USPS announcement (here). The Post Office does acknowledge the increase in crime and announces measures to confront it, including some recommendations for consumers. Nowhere do they suggest people not mail checks.

Don’t let incoming or outgoing mail sit in your mailbox. You can significantly reduce the chance of being victimized by simply removing your mail from your mailbox every day.
Deposit outgoing mail through a number of secure manners including inside your local Post Office or at your place of business or by handing it to a letter carrier.
Sign up for Informed Delivery and get daily digest emails that preview your mail and packages scheduled to arrive soon.
Become involved and engaged in your neighborhood via neighborhood watches and local social media groups to spread awareness and share information.
Keep an eye out for your letter carrier. If you see something that looks suspicious, or you see someone following your carrier, call 911.

 

[jollystomper]

MichaelB: "Is the USPS really suggesting people not mail checks? I’m skeptical. There are many recent news reports, but no actual quotes that are attributed to USPS.

I did read 2 media reports that suggest payment apps are safer. Given the reported difficulty people are having recovering funds sent by Zelle, I think that’s a poor alternative."


Here is one of the links below:

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-postal-service-warning-checks-mail-fraud-theft/

In the article, the USPS is *not* saying "do not send checks through the mail".

What the article indicates the USPS is saying is "do not leave checks in your mailbox for a carrier to pick up, or put them in the outdoor blue mailboxes, as those are becoming increasing targets for theft". Instead, they recommend you drop them off inside the post office, either directly to the desk worker or the box slots within the post office, which are more secure.

 

[FIREd_2015]

My neighborhood community bulletin board has alerted us of packages stolen from porches, someone finding mail in the common area belonging to homes in the neighborhood. A little over a year ago, I had two check stolen out of my mailbox. I was able to have the rent check cancelled and re-issued. The second check was a government check. I filed a lost/stolen check form. About a year later I got a letter from the State showing the check was deposited by someone named Amy and asking if I had endorsed it to her. I filed the new form stating that was not my signature on the check. Still waiting for a response from the State.

I now try to avoid sending or receiving checks via USPS. Since the incident I've convinced my tenants to pay rent using ACH transfer.

A couple of months ago I had a large 401k rollover check misplaced by USPS. I eventually got the check but I had already cancelled and had it re-issued and sent via FedEx.

 

[PatrickA5]

I only pay one bill a month by check. I usually take it to a private mail company and leave it in their USPS basket. Otherwise, I'll take it inside the post office. The blue mailboxes outside the post office have been hit multiple times recently and low-lifes steal mail out of home mailboxes almost daily where I live. Sad.

 

[Car-Guy]

I can't get 1.5% cash back when writing checks. Plus using a CC is quicker and doesn't require a 25 cent stamp. <------ see how long it been since I've sent a check my mail.

 

[Livefree]

If I have to mail a check, I make sure to use one of the newer mailboxes with the metal tines that only accept mail. This prevents someone with a coat hanger and duct tape to fish out checks..


Also you can use Gel Pens that can't be washed...


https://www.amazon.com/uni-ball-Ret...words=Uniball+207&qid=1679686141&sr=8-30&th=1

 

[mystang52]

After reading this thread, I took a look at my checkbook. In the past 14 months I've written 12 checks. 8 were given by hand, 4 were mailed, to local charities. I think I'll add them to my bank's online bill pay.

 

[COcheesehead]

Been using Billpay or credit cards, if they’ll take them, for as long as I can remember. I like Billpay because they’ll update addresses and I can schedule payments to go at a later date. Even pay my property taxes with it. Never a problem.