Try Not to Mail Checks Anymore in New Jersey, Here’s Why

⚫Do not put checks in mailbox

⚫USPS warns, do not mail checks

⚫Use an App to send money to family and friends

Mailing checks, I remember when I always would do this and my parents always mailed their checks.

How do you exchange money with a family member or friend? Do you us Apps like Venmo, PayPal, maybe Cash App. They are all very popular to use now in 2024. Zelle is another one that many traditional banks use in the US.

But, even with all these options, people are still using paper checks and they're mailing them.

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I realize Apps are confusing, but they are really simple to use and they seem the safest way to send money to friends.

Keep Reading: The US Postal Services Warns New Jerseyans About "Smishing"

Now, if you're handing a friend or family member a paper check directly, it feels like a secure transactions to me. But if you're putting it in the mail or giving a check as a birthday present, wedding, graduation, or another party you're not attending in person, you could be putting yourself at risk for fraud. I know, this is crazy, right?

Criminals are aware that people are still mailing checks as gifts or to pay bills. In May 2023, the United States Postal Service and United States Postal Inspection Service teamed up for an initiative called “Project Safe Delivery” after noticing a troubling increase in the number of mailboxes being targeted by thieves and the number of their letter carriers being robbed on their routes.

Even with the initiative in place, the Associated Press reported that the number of carriers robbed while on duty rose more than 30% to 643 in 2023.

How are thieves getting money from stolen checks?

There’s a whole page on the United States Postal Inspection Service’s website dedicated to a scam called “check washing.”

This is even crazy that we have to worry about this, but The Better Business Bureau says that the pen you write checks with could make a difference. They suggest using a pen with long-lasting black “gel ink.” You know, the type of ink that’s darn near impossible to get out of your clothes or carpet.

What To Do If You Absolutely Have to Mail a Check?

First of all, use the type of pen suggested above to write the check in the first place. The United States Postal Service hasn’t issued an official statement but does suggest bringing envelopes containing checks into a secure post office, rather than dropping them in a mail box.