What You Should Do If Your Checks are Lost or Stolen

Checks have lost their popularity. There are a number of reasons for this:

- Debit cards and credit cards are much more convenient to use than checks.

- Most people use credit cards to avail of the attractive incentive programs that credit card companies offer to encourage the use of credit cards.

- Electronic fund transfers are preferred more by many because they are a fast and convenient way to pay bills.

- Checks tend to incur bank fees because they have to be manually processed.

- Checks may also cause fees and taxes not carried over from the past, but not applied to current payment agreements.

- Compared to other payment methods, checks are less secure.

- Checks may take awhile to clear.

Despite these, though, checks are still used quite often. Many people use checks as a backup means for paying.

An identity thief, if given possession of or access to your checkbook and one other form of your identification, is prepared to go on a shopping spree at your expense. It takes very little practice to duplicate a signature and the fact that signatures on the back of credit cards fade easily only makes it easier for the identity thief to pass his signature as your own. If the identity thief draws no suspicion toward himself and he uses your check book, he can deplete your bank account in a short amount of time.

Cancelling your credit card will insure that the identity thief will not be able to use it for fraudulent purchases. However, an identity thief may still be able to use your credit card as a form of identification. In most cases, if a credit card is only being used as a form of identification, the retailer will simply note the card number and verify the signature on it. A credit card including your photo will, of course, make this more difficult for the identity thief.

Usually, identity thieves will not take entire checkbooks. They will simply tear out a few checks. It is unlikely that you will even notice the missing checks unless you keep secure records of your checking history. If there are other things missing from your wallet, you are more likely to take precautions such as canceling credit cards, but you may see the checkbook still there and assume it's in tact. The identity thief may also be very patient, waiting a month or two before even deciding to use a stolen check.

To make it even more difficult to acknowledge the missing checks, an identity thief may only write checks in small amounts and at lengthy intervals. If you have any suspicion that your checks may have been lost or stolen, take precautions immediately. You can put a stop on the checks, but it is possible that you will also incur fees in the process to insure the safety of your account.