Sending Checks? Here’s Why You Might Want To Rethink It

Sending checks in the mail is just about the most routine thing you can do at the USPS, but many people are saying that if you are living in Michigan, you should stop sending checks in the mail altogether.

It’s not that sending a check in the mail is illegal, but the risk of fraud has never been higher, according to recent reports from the AARP.

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In 2023, they released an article discussing the rise in fraud and theft cases involving paper checks:

Last year (2022), banks identified 680,000 reports of check fraud, up from 350,000 in 2021. Meanwhile, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service reported that about 300,000 mail theft complaints were made in 2021, more than double the complaints in 2020. That’s happening even as the number of paper checks in circulation has declined dramatically, to roughly 3.4 billion checks in 2022.

According to a report from CBS, Caitlin Driscoll of the Better Business Bureau has shared some insight on these cases and offered a solution that can lessen the chances of you being taken advantage of, in the case you do have to mail a check:

This isn't anything new either, unfortunately, when it comes to different counterfeit checks, counterfeit check fraud. If you are choosing to mail a check, it is always recommended that you use a secure mail drop such as inside a post office versus an unsecured public-facing mailbox.

Luckily, so many businesses allow for paperless bill paying, which has reduced the need to send checks through the mail. Regardless, it's important to take the extra steps to protect your account.