Over the past year, mail-related check fraud has begun to spike in numbers.
According to a report on NPR, while tracking the trend researchers identified that criminals are targeting checks found in home mailboxes and blue US Postal Boxes. Experts recommend the following for when you have to send out a payment:
If you must use a paper check, bring it in to the local post office to drop off rather than leaving it in your mailbox for pickup.
When possible, use an online bill-pay service like that from Jewett City Savings Bank to have payments sent electronically.
If you or someone you know find yourself a victim of check fraud, we recommend taking the following steps:
- Reporting the incident to your bank
- File a report with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
- Report the incident to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service
To read more about the findings of the researchers from the Evidence-Based Cybersecurity Research Group at Georgia State University, visit NPR.org.
