Check Washing

Tags: Pens

While there is currently a lot of concern about identity theft, the hijacking of electronic accounts, and other forms of modern day fraud, not as much attention is being paid to good, old-fashioned, low-tech fraud.

Most people already know of the risk with blank checks – so protect our blank checks and checkbooks so that they don’t fall into the wrong hands.

Some people may be aware of the risk of check alteration – and use more secure check-writing practices.

However, few people are as aware of the risk of “Check Washing.”

Check washing refers to the chemical removal of ink from a check that you’ve written such that fraudsters can change the amount and to whom payable(1). The topic has enough attention to have been covered in Bruce Schneier’s information security blog.

Check washing is a form of credit card fraud, without the protection that the credit process gives. Checks are directly debited from your account.

The pen and ink you use can give strong protections against this kind of threat:

• Most disposable pens use a vegetable based ink that can be removed with solvents, as the pigment is suspended in the ink and lays on top of the paper;
• Most rollerball pens use inks that contain pigments in a water base. Once evaporated, this ink is more difficult to remove as the pigment has effectively stained the cellulose paper;
• Gel inks also have been shown resistant to acetone and the other chemicals used to wash checks;
• Fountain pens use water based inks and may provide the best protection. Some ink companies offer cellulose reactive inks that claims to be impervious to check washing.

(1) Apparently check washing results in losses totaling $815 million annually in the United States.

Index

Dates

1.  2006
2.  2007

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