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Manitowoc County authorities are investigating cases of check fraud in that area. The Manitowoc County Sheriff’s Office says the fraudsters first steal mail, looking for checks. The checks are then either sold to others, or the information on them altered and then cashed by the thieves themselves.
The Sheriff says that since the crime begins as mail theft, exchanging checks in the mail already poses a risk. He said that reducing the number of checks sent in the mail by paying digitally can eliminate that part of the risk. Another option is to use your bank to send checks on your behalf…if a check is required for a purchase, the bank may be able to handle that for you.
Another precaution is to write the check using a black gel pen, which has ink that’s difficult to remove, and using secure mail boxes inside a postal facility is safer than your home or an exterior drop box. And finally, avoid sharing any bank account information with anyone you didn’t approach first.
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