| Nobody needs a formal training to write a check (if | | | | 3. Carbon-ize your checks. Monitoring your payment |
| you don't, you can check out a lot of visual examples | | | | history will be a lot easier if you use carbon copies |
| online or you can check out video instructions online). | | | | with your checks. It may sound a bit old fashioned and |
| But the question should probably be: do you know how | | | | conventional but you know, we never had identity theft |
| to write a check safely? | | | | problems before (because everything then was done |
| Writing a check the proper and safe way will not only | | | | manually thus documented properly). You can always |
| deter identity theft criminals from tapping into your | | | | try to scout for banks that provide free checking |
| account, but it can also lessen the chances of these | | | | accounts and carbon copies. |
| criminals creating mayhem in your life. If you want to | | | | 4. Use the same signature. Consistent signatures can |
| decrease your chances of being prey to scammers | | | | be another strategy that you can use to deter identity |
| and identity thieves, follow the techniques below: | | | | theft. Using the same signature for every document |
| 1. Capitalize. When you write your checks, try to use | | | | and checks that you sign will enable the bank to easily |
| ALL CAPITAL LETTERS. Words written in all caps | | | | recognize your signature and identify fraudulent |
| are harder to alter than lowercase letters and they are | | | | checks. If they check on your file and they notice that |
| less prone to being changed by identity theft criminals. | | | | you are not pretty consistent with your signature, then |
| 2. Fill in all spaces. It is important that when you fill in the | | | | they might let a couple of check slips through and you |
| space for the dollar amount, you leave no spaces for | | | | will not know about it immediately. |
| scammers to fill out. This is pretty easy. Either you | | | | 5. Carry a pen. Do not be too eager to sign blank |
| expand your handwriting to cover all the spaces or | | | | checks. The reason for this is pretty obvious. When |
| simply draw a line after the last digit. For instance, if | | | | you sign blank checks and bring it in your purse, it can |
| you are writing a check worth five hundred dollars | | | | certainly increase your chances of being victimized by |
| ($500), write 5 on the farthest left as possible. After | | | | identity theft criminals. Supposing your purse is stolen, |
| writing the last digit, which is zero, write a line after this | | | | the criminal who gets hold of this blank check can |
| last digit and into the end of the space. This way, | | | | simply put in his or her desired amount and before you |
| scammers or identity theft criminals will not be able to | | | | know it, your bank account has been drained of funds. |
| add additional digits to your check. Your $500 check | | | | Bring your pen with you-it's safer. |
| may end up with a $5000 or $2500 amount. | | | | |