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To reduce the risk of check theft, shorten the time a check sits unattended: collect incoming mail promptly, use USPS Hold Mail or trusted pickup when you are away, and put outgoing checks in an indoor Post Office slot or mail them before a collection box’s last pickup. Write checks in indelible black ink, monitor cleared payments, and contact your bank quickly if a check goes missing or looks altered.
Why mailed checks are vulnerable
A thief who gets hold of a check may alter its payee name or amount—a method commonly called check washing—or copy it. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) explains the risk and prevention steps in its check-washing guidance, last updated July 29, 2025. USPIS says it recovers more than $1 billion in counterfeit checks and money orders each year; that figure describes recovered items, not the total value of all check fraud.
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No mailing or drop-off method can guarantee that a check will not be stolen. The practical goal is to reduce unattended time, make alteration harder, and spot suspicious activity quickly.
Protect checks coming to your mailbox
- Collect mail promptly. USPIS advises against leaving mail in your mailbox overnight. If you are expecting an important check, check for it regularly and contact the sender promptly if it does not arrive.
- Plan for time away. Use USPS Hold Mail or ask a trusted friend or neighbor to collect your mail while you are away. USPS service details and availability can vary.
- Use Informed Delivery as an alert, not a lock. The joint USPIS–American Bankers Association guidance describes USPS Informed Delivery as daily email notifications about incoming mail and packages. A notification can help you notice that expected mail has not shown up, but it does not prove delivery or prevent someone from taking mail.
Choose a safer way to send checks
Reduce how long an outgoing check waits unattended. USPIS advises mailing it before the last pickup from a blue collection box or taking it to a local Post Office. The joint USPIS–ABA guidance specifically recommends an indoor Post Office letter slot. These steps reduce exposure time; they are not theft-proof guarantees.
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- Check the collection time posted on the box and avoid dropping a check after its final pickup.
- Where practical, use an electronic, mobile, e-check, or ACH payment option instead of mailing paper.
- Follow up with the recipient to confirm the check arrived.
- A security envelope may conceal the contents from casual view, but it cannot prevent mailbox theft or protect a check if it is intercepted.
Make checks harder to alter
- Use indelible black ink. USPIS–ABA recommends it because it makes washing a check more difficult.
- Fill in the payee and amount lines fully; do not leave blank space that could be used to add information.
- Keep unnecessary personal information off checks. Do not write your Social Security number, credit-card information, driver’s-license number, phone number, or other details that the payment does not require.
Monitor payments and check images
Review bank activity and statements often enough to notice unfamiliar or unexpected payments. If your bank provides images of paid checks, inspect the front for changes to the payee or amount and the back for an endorsement that does not match the intended recipient. A check can also be deposited without being altered, so an apparently unchanged front does not rule out fraud. Alert features and check-image availability depend on the bank.
What to do if a check is missing or fraud appears
- Call your bank immediately. Explain what happened and ask for copies of any suspicious or fraudulent checks. Ask the bank what steps it recommends for your account.
- Report suspected mail theft to USPIS and local police. File a report at uspis.gov/report or call USPIS at 1-877-876-2455. Preserve check images and transaction details, and tell investigators how, when, and where you mailed the check if you know. USPIS’s check-fraud handout asks victims for mailing details.
- Call 911 if a crime is actively in progress. For non-emergency reports, use the bank, local police, and USPIS channels above.
How widespread is mail theft?
USPIS reports almost 9,300 suspects arrested for theft of mail and packages from 2019 through 2024; this is a mail-and-package theft figure, not a count of check-theft arrests alone. Separately, USPIS’s Project Safe Delivery page reports 3,960 mail-theft arrests and 572 robbery arrests nationwide from May 12, 2023 through June 30, 2026. Those are program totals, not a count of every U.S. mail theft incident. See the USPIS mail-theft page and Project Safe Delivery for their respective figures and updates.
Quick Recap
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- SECURE YOUR DELIVERIES: USPS approved locking mailbox defends against mail theft; keeps mail, checks, and small packages locked away from thieves
- QUALITY: 14- and 16-gauge galvanized welded steel construction with stainless steel hinges defends against vandalism
- SECURITY: Innovative baffle door accepts small parcels, packages, and a box of checks and also deters fishing. Does not include or require mounting plate
- PATENTED: Anti-Pry latch lock mechanism stops leveraged screwdriver attacks cold; anti-drill, anti-pick commercial grade 10-disc wafer lock with thickened core and 1,000+ key cuts
- ACCESSORIES: Includes concealed outgoing mail clip, (3) all-metal laser cut keys, and required installation hardware
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