How do I Avoid Checking Account Fraud?

Checking account fraud occurs when a third party attempts to utilize a check from another individual to fraudulently collect funds from a checking account. In order to avoid this type of fraud, you should protect your bank account information, monitor your transactions, and shred checks and other documents with your checking account number on them. If checking account fraud occurs, you should report it to the proper authorities and your bank immediately.

Many times, thieves try to obtain checking account information over the phone or over the Internet. These individuals claim to be selling a product or service. If you are going to be making a transaction over the Internet or the phone, you should most likely use a debit or credit card. Cards have more protections for consumers and many of them have no fraud liability. When you are purchasing something online, you should also make sure that the seller is verified by an Internet security company and is well-known in the industry.

If someone asks for your checking account information over the phone or through the mail, you should ignore the request. Tell them that you could potentially do business with them in some other way, but you are not going to blindly give them your bank account information. By doing this, you are essentially allowing the thief to run a transaction through your bank account for any amount he wishes.

You should also get in the habit of monitoring the transactions in your checking account. Keeping a check register is not good enough. You should have access to online banking so that you can find out what transactions have gone through your account. By checking this frequently, you can see when a fraudulent transaction goes through and take the necessary steps to have it reversed. Many people do not keep track of these transactions and find out about them much later.

When dealing with old checks or other documents with your bank account information on them, you should shred them or burn them. You never want to leave any documents with your bank account information on them around the house or throw them in the trash. Thieves can gain access to this information too easily.

If you believe that you have been the victim of checking account fraud, you should report it to your bank immediately. You should also report checking account fraud to the local police. When checking account fraud occurs, you need to get the proper agencies working on it to remedy the problem.