Check Washing: How It Works and How to Protect Your Checks

Short answer: check washing is when a thief uses chemicals to erase the payee and amount on a stolen check, then writes in new ones and deposits it. Stop it with three things: a pen with uni Super Ink ($3.00 at Carousel), high security checks with chemical protection ($28.49 for 80 at Checks Unlimited, $24.00 for 100 at Carousel), and mail habits that keep checks out of a thief’s hands. Prices checked October 20, 2026.

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What check washing is

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service says check washing scams involve changing the payee names, and often the dollar amounts, on checks and fraudulently depositing them. Some checks are stolen from mailboxes and washed in chemicals to remove the ink; some scammers print fake copies of a check instead. Postal Inspectors recover more than $1 billion in counterfeit checks and money orders every year.

The usual sign is simple: you mailed a check, it was cashed, and the person you paid says it never arrived. The signature on the cashed check is usually your own, because the thief changes the lines you filled in and keeps the rest.

Signs a check was washed

• A payee or amount on your statement that does not match your register.
• A payee who tells you a mailed payment never arrived.
• A stain or spot on the check image where the payee or amount line should be clean; chemical protection paper shows a stain when it is chemically altered.
• Handwriting on the payee or amount line that does not match your signature.

Log every check in a check register and compare it with your statement each month, or use duplicate checks so the carbon copy shows what you really wrote.

7 ways to prevent check washing

1. Write with Super Ink. Carousel’s UniBall Fraud Prevention Pen ($3.00, or 3 for $8.00) uses patented uni Super Ink, which Carousel says bonds to paper fibers and prevents alterations, even from check washing.
2. Order high security checks. Hologram, heat reactive ink and chemical protection paper make a washed check easy to spot.
3. Mail before the last pickup. USPIS says to deposit outgoing mail in blue collection boxes before the last pickup, or at your local Post Office.
4. Do not leave mail out overnight. USPIS says never to leave mail in your mailbox overnight, and to hold mail at the Post Office when you travel.
5. Use security envelopes. Carousel’s #9 security envelopes have a tinted interior lining that keeps the check inside private; 50 cost $5.50.
6. Fill every line. Write the payee and amount at the far left and draw a line through the empty space, so nothing can be added.
7. Destroy old checks. Black out account details on spoiled checks and statements with a security stamp ($12.00 at Carousel) and store unused boxes in a Carousel check box ($0.99).

High security checks compared

High security personal checks from the printers we cover, checked October 20, 2026:

Checks	Seller	Security features	Price
High Security Blue	Checks Unlimited	Hologram Security Square, Fraud Warning, Heat Reactive Ink, Chemical Protection, Erasure Protection, Microprint Signature Line	$28.49 for 80 singles; $34.49 duplicates
High Security Parchment	Checks Unlimited	Same six features, parchment design	$28.49 for 80 singles; $34.49 duplicates
Blue Green Hologram	Carousel Checks	Hologram, Heat Sensitive Ink, Fluorescent Fibers, Chemical Protection Paper, Micro-Printing	$24.00 for 100 singles; $28.50 duplicates
Parchment Hologram	Carousel Checks	Same five features, parchment design	$24.00 for 100 singles; $28.50 duplicates

Per check, Carousel’s hologram checks cost 24 cents and Checks Unlimited’s high security checks about 36 cents. Checks Unlimited lowers the price with volume: 4 boxes of High Security singles are on sale for $87.69. Carousel sells 4 boxes of hologram singles for $79.00, and says its hologram checks have the greatest security features it offers on personal checks. See all designs in the Carousel hologram checks category.

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Ready to switch? Our high security checks guide compares hologram personal checks and their prices, and our high security business checks guide covers 3-on-a-page and laser checks for a company.

Check security features explained

The two printers describe their features on the product pages and on Checks Unlimited’s check security page:

Feature	What it does
Chemical protection	Stains or spots appear when the paper is chemically altered, the direct answer to washing
Hologram	Carousel: a three-dimensional metallic image fused on the paper. Checks Unlimited: a hologram security square that cannot be reproduced
Heat sensitive ink	Carousel: the red image fades with heat; rub it, hold it between thumb and finger or breathe on it
Microprint signature line	Small type that appears as a dotted line or blurs when photocopied or scanned
Erasure protection	Checks Unlimited: appears when the document is erased
Fluorescent fibers	Carousel: visible only under ultraviolet light; cannot be photocopied or scanned
Security screen	Checks Unlimited: located on the back of the check

Standard Checks Unlimited checks, such as Blue Classic, already include chemical protection, erasure protection and a microprint signature line. The High Security line adds the hologram, the heat reactive ink and the fraud warning. Our older post on high-security check features has more background.

How to mail a check safely

USPIS tips from its check washing and mail theft pages:

• Drop outgoing mail in a blue collection box before the last pickup, or hand it in at the Post Office.
• Pick up incoming mail promptly and never leave it in the mailbox overnight.
• If a check, credit card or other valuable mail you expect does not arrive, contact the sender as soon as possible.
• Use the USPS Hold Mail service when you travel, or ask a friend or neighbor to collect it.
• File a change of address when you move, and tell your financial institutions too.

USPIS says Postal Inspectors arrested almost 9,300 suspects for theft of mail and packages from 2019 to 2024. For the envelopes themselves, our check envelopes guide compares double window and security envelopes.

Check fraud protection plans

Both printers offer an add-on plan at checkout. Checks Unlimited adds SentryShield Check Fraud Protection to check orders for an additional charge, and you can remove it in the cart; its Security Center says the program delivers an advancement of funds up to $25,000 in the event of forged signatures, forged endorsements and altered checks. Carousel offers EZShield Check Fraud Protection on its check pages, guarding checks from unauthorized use of up to $25,000.

If your check was washed

1. Call your bank right away, report the altered check, and ask about stopping payment on any other checks in the mail.
2. File a report with the Postal Inspection Service, your local police department and your credit reporting bureau, as USPIS advises.
3. If you bought a fraud protection plan with your checks, start the claim with the printer.
4. Order new checks with high security features, and switch to a Super Ink pen.

How to order and delivery

1. Pick high security checks: Checks Unlimited High Security ($28.49 for 80) or Carousel hologram checks ($24.00 for 100).
2. Add the $3.00 UniBall Fraud Prevention Pen and security envelopes to the Carousel order.
3. Decide on the fraud protection add-on in the cart.
4. Choose delivery and pay.

Delivery: Checks Unlimited: printing and standard delivery take up to 15 business days after order verification, or 7 to 11 business days with trackable delivery. In-Plant Rush ($6.99) gets the order ready to ship within 2 business days after verification. Carousel Checks lists Next Day Air (1 to 2 business days), 2nd Day Air (2 to 3), Ground (2 to 5), Trackable (3 to 7), USPS Priority (7 to 10) and Bulk (9 to 18 business days), plus processing time.

Ordering checks too? Checks Unlimited sells Blue Classic checks at $23.49 for 80 and Carousel sells Blue Safety checks at $20.00 a box. Checks Unlimited sells MLB checks for 30 clubs, from the Yankees and Red Sox to the Dodgers and Cubs, and collegiate checks for 19 schools, including Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Georgia, LSU, Notre Dame, Penn State and Tennessee.

Value Priced Personal Checks

Check washing: frequently asked questions

What is check washing?

Check washing is changing the payee name, and often the amount, on a check and depositing it fraudulently. USPIS says some checks are stolen from mailboxes and washed in chemicals to remove the ink.

How do I prevent check washing?

Write with a pen with uni Super Ink, use high security checks with chemical protection, mail checks from a blue collection box before the last pickup or at the Post Office, and never leave mail in your mailbox overnight.

What pen prevents check washing?

Carousel sells the UniBall Fraud Prevention Pen with uni Super Ink for $3.00, and says the ink bonds to paper fibers and prevents alterations, even from check washing.

How much do high security checks cost?

Checks Unlimited High Security checks cost $28.49 for 80 singles, and Carousel hologram checks cost $24.00 for 100 singles (October 20, 2026).

Can you tell if a check has been washed?

Often, yes. Chemical protection paper shows a stain or spot when chemically altered, and a payee or amount that does not match your register is the clearest sign.

Who do I report check washing to?

USPIS says to file a report with the Postal Inspection Service, your local police department and your credit reporting bureau. Call your bank right away as well.

How do you stop check washing?

Layer protections: use high security checks with chemical protection (Checks Unlimited High Security checks were $28.49 for 80 singles on October 29, 2026), write with pigment-based gel ink, mail checks inside the Post Office, ask your bank about positive pay, and check your account often. These steps are designed to help resist and catch alterations; none makes a check impossible to wash.

What is positive pay?

Positive pay is a bank service where you send the bank a list of the checks you issue, with check number and amount (and the payee name for payee positive pay). The bank flags any check that does not match before paying it. It is mostly offered on business accounts.

Related guides

• Check fraud prevention
• Check writing pens
• RFID sleeves
• Check envelopes
• Duplicate checks
• For Deposit Only stamps
• Check registers
• How to reorder checks online
• Cheapest checks 2026
• Check companies compared

Affiliate disclosure: GetBankChecks.com is an independent guide, not a check printer. Some links are affiliate links, and we earn a commission if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you. Prices, codes and designs change, so check them on the merchant’s site before you pay.