Urgent Warning for Michigan Residents: Stop Mailing Checks Immediately

These days, it feels like just about everyone has switched to digital payments and ditched checks for good. But in reality, plenty of Americans still aren’t comfortable with sending money through digital platforms. Trust me, I know, I've been trying to get my parents to go digital for years. Some people are just stuck in their ways.

Many people avoid sending money through platforms like PayPal, Venmo, Cash App, Zelle, and others due to fears of being scammed. It's understandable, given that we constantly hear about people falling victim to online scams in various forms.

If you're still a bit old school and prefer writing checks, you may want to think twice about sending checks in the mail whether it's for bills, a gift, or whatever. What you need to understand is that while you're old school, many scammers are too.

Warning: Check Washing is a Real Scam

According to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, scammers will steal signed checks from the mail and use chemicals to wipe out the dollar amount, increasing it to a larger figure. They’ll then wash away the recipient’s name on the check and make it payable to a fake identity before cashing it.

The only way to avoid something like this happening to you is by refraining from sending checks through the mail. If you do plan on sending a check, avoid leaving it in your mailbox overnight or simply dropping it into blue mailboxes during pickup hours.

Scammers often target mailboxes directly.