Do NOT Send Checks in Mail Anymore in Idaho

Just a few days ago, we were discussing things we like to do the old school way even though there is a modern day solution that makes it easier.

The answers ranged from stirring cookie dough with a spoon to using a notebook based planner to writing checks. If you’re one of the few Idahoans doing the last one, you may want to take some extra steps to protect yourself. 

Retailers No Longer Accepting Personal Checks

Earlier this summer, Target made an announcement that seemed like it should have stunned shoppers, but in reality? It was a move they probably could’ve made earlier. They stopped accepting personal checks as a form of payment on July 15. It’s a move that other retailers made a long time ago. In fact, Whole Foods began phasing checks out at some of their stores before their Boise location even opened in 2012. 

Why Are Idahoans Still Writing Checks?

If less and less retailers are accepting checks why even bother getting a checkbook? It really depends on the person. The listeners who participated in the poll we mentioned earlier said she just feels more in control when writing checks. Others, people of an older generation, may feel more comfortable with paper checks than with technology. 

READ MORE: 7 Items Experts Say Idahoans Should Remove From Their Wallets ASAP

According to Broadband Now, almost 20% of Idahoans don’t have access to the internet with speeds of at least 100Mbps, ranking us 46th in the country.  No surprise, many of the areas that don’t have access to reliable internet are Idaho’s most rural counties. Limited access to the internet is another reason why Idahoans may write checks instead. 

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Checks are also a quick, easy gift for occasions like holidays, birthdays, weddings or graduations. It’s so easy to drop one in the mail as a way to celebrate from afar if you can’t be there in person. 

United States Postal Services and Banks Want You to Reconsider Mailing Checks

Unfortunately, fraudsters know that people are still mailing checks and that the number of checks in the mail rises during the holiday season. In many cases, criminals will find a way to fish checks out of one of the United States Postal Service’s blue mailboxes. 

Some will go as far as having a violent confrontation with carriers in hopes that the postal worker will give up their master key to the boxes out of fear for their own safety.  The US Government Accountability Office revealed there were nearly 1,200 serious crimes committed against their carriers in 2023, including 400 assaults.

What Do Thieves Do With Stolen Checks?

The United States Postal Inspection Service says they’ve seen a steep increase of a crime called “check washing” over the last four years. There are chemicals out there that can dissolve the ink from the pen you used to fill in the name of the check’s payee and the amount the check was originally written for. So instead of sending your niece $100 for her Sweet 16, you just sent Timmy Snicklefritz $1,000. 

That’s why the Better Business Bureau recommends using a pen with long-lasting “gel ink.” That same ink that’s nearly impossible to get out of your clothes or carpet doesn’t come off a check easily, either. 

Don’t assume for a second “things like this don’t happen in Idaho.” In 2019, three individuals in Canyon County admitted that they had stolen checks from mailboxes, changed themselves to the payee and increased the amount written on the check. Their admission was part of a plea deal they took after an investigation showed that their crime resulted in the victims losing a collective $32,000. 

If You Absolutely Must Mail a Check

We recommend using the type of pen recommended by the BBB. The USPS suggested bringing your check into a secure post office instead of using one of their blue boxes or leaving it in your mailbox for your carrier to pick-up. The closer to the final pick-up time you can drop off that envelope, the safer you are. If you’ve missed the final pick-up, wait till the next day.