Don't Let Fraud Rewrite Your Finances: The Reality of Check Altering

Category: Fraud Awareness

By BankSource on 8/11/2026

We tend to think of paper checks as safe, official documents, but the reality is changing fast. Check fraud has evolved far beyond simple forgery. Today, criminals rely on how easy it is to alter a legitimate handwritten check.

With just a few dollars' worth of everyday items, a scammer can intercept your mail and completely rewrite your check, turning a small, routine payment into a catastrophic financial loss.

By understanding how these scams work, you can adapt your habits and begin using digital banking tools to help keep your finances and checks safe and secure.

The Ease of Check Alteration

The most common method criminals use today is check washing which allows them to erase handwriting and completely change the details of a check. Fraudsters often target residential mailboxes to steal outgoing mail. Once they have your check, altering it is simpler than you might think:

Everyday Chemicals: Scammers use basic household items like acetone, nail polish remover, or rubbing alcohol to wipe away your handwriting.

The Vulnerability: Standard ballpoint pen ink sits on the surface of the paper, making it incredibly easy to dissolve and strip away.

The Result: Check washing leaves the original check layout, routing and account numbers, and your signature completely intact.

The Fraud: The result is a blank, legally signed check that fraudsters can fill in with any name and dollar amount they want.

How to Prevent Check Alteration

If you must use a physical check, you can reduce the risk of check fraud by changing how you write, mail, and dispose of your checks.

Switch to Gel Pens: Never use a standard ballpoint pen. Use a black gel pen instead. Gel ink sinks into the paper fibers of the check, making it extremely difficult for fraudsters to remove or alter without ruining the paper.

Fill All Blank Space: When filling out checks always start writing at the very far left edge of the line. Then, draw a line through any remaining empty space all the way to the right. This prevents fraudsters from turning a name like "Amy" into "Amos," or adding extra zeros to the dollar amount.

Write Full Names: Always write out the full name of the recipient or business. Avoid using short acronyms, as those can be incredibly easy for scammers to modify into different names.

Hand-Deliver to the Post Office: Only mail out checks at the Post Office, rather than leaving them to sit in your mailbox or a drop box.

Shred Old and Unused Checks: Shred your old, canceled, or voided checks to keep your account information private. Disposing of old checks correctly ensures that sensitive details such as your routing number, account number, and signature stay private.

The Best Defense with BOS

Ultimately, the safest check is the one you never wrote. The absolute best way to prevent check fraud is to stop using physical paper checks. Paper checks pass through dozens of hands and sorting facilities, creating multiple opportunities for theft to occur.

With BOS Digital Banking, you can transition to using safer, faster, and secure ways to deposit checks, transfer money, and pay your bills.

Online Bill Pay: Pay utilities and businesses digitally instead of mailing paper checks. This service helps eliminate the risk of checks being stolen or altered.

Send Payments with Zelle: Send money directly from your BOS checking account to friends, family, or local vendors. Payments are fast, secure, and leave no physical paper trail for fraudsters to exploit.

BOS Mobile Deposit: Deposit physical checks the moment you receive them by taking a photo in the app. This keeps physical checks out of your car, wallet, or desk where they are more valuable to fall into the wrong hands.