Personal Checks-JUST STOP

[IamScotticus]

Please see the article here and the embedded videos.

The short: you can't trust that your personal checks will be respected.  The number of immoral people has reached a point where you cannot be trusting anyone with the information on a personal check.

 

https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2024/08/09/houston-area-postal-worker-accused-of-stealing-cash-and-gift-cards-from-mail/

 

 

 

OK, you may live in Happy Family township and not have these problems.   Good for you.

Edited August 11, 2024 by IamScotticus

[MV8]

Sending you a PM. I'm hesitant to publicly share how bad guys do things.

[wdb]

My wife sends our real estate tax payment via personal check. Drives me nuts but so far the county has not provided a way to transfer funds digitally.

 

obTopic a bit, and not for one minute to condone the actions reported, but I recall when being a postal worker was a stable, decent paying, middle class job. No more.

[MV8]

I was asked to share the following and I'm sure many of you know these things already:

 

Not just checks but any mail (including ballots). The internal surveillance is better now but you still see mail being dumped by mail carriers that had better things to do. Don't leave valuable package returns in your box for pickup either. Sometimes they disappear forever, even if it was the mail person that actually picked it up and not a "porch pirate". Drop your packages at the post office.

 

You can also call USPS to ensure your mail has not been forwarded to another address or your address changed. They do notify to confirm a change request (by mail) but that can be intercepted (they know when to expect it) then all your mail goes to them. Opt out of paper mailing of statements that can be downloaded to your pc, printed, then the electronic file deleted.

 

You should also check periodically that no numbers have been added to your cell service. This can be done by insiders at the service or someone with enough of your information to convince the service. Next step is to "sim swap" your actually number to their phone number on your account(they already have access right?) and now the phone used to authenticate your accounts is in their hands, and they can wipe you out financially. I know someone this has happened to.

 

Passwords should be long giberish with improper spelling. 2nd tier questions that are setup (i.e. your favorite dog, school, Mom's maiden name, etc) should have made-up answers, not your actual info but you would need to be good at keep up with all that with paper, not an electronic file on your computer that can be remotely accessed.

 

Don't have cameras inside your home in sensitive areas with wifi access (includes your cell phone). Don't install "aps" you don't need, talk about your trip on social media AFTER you get back, not before. The list goes on. Just precautions, like wearing a seat belt. Nothing is perfect.

Edited August 12, 2024 by MV8

[IamScotticus]

All good advice.  The scammers/thieves are very clever. 

A goid practice to follow is if someone contacts you claiming to be from a business,  or government,  or anyone requesting money or personal information,

Always question it. Do checks to see if they are legitimate, imposters, scams, etc.

Ask close family for their opinion.  

I have a close family member who was taken for thousands over months.  All she had to do was let someone know ir was happening. She isn't a dumb person,  the scamming was very through.  At her age, the financial loss, and unfortunately the loss of confidence in her reasoning,  is, unfortunate.  All she had to do was question it.