Check Safety

It pays to read the free magazines that are sent to you. Just last night I read Costco’s monthly mag and learned more about checks.

Seven of the nine steps they advised were familiar with me, but I didn’t know (or have never thought about before) a couple:

1. Should (Heaven forbid) your home be burglarized, make sure none of your unused checks was stolen. Don’t just count your checkbooks, leaf through them to make sure they’re all there.

According to authorities, thieves sometimes take one or two checks from the middle or back of the books, something you won’t discover until it’s too late.

2. Use a gel pen (e.g., Vista Secure Gel Pen, Uni-Ball 207, Pentel HyperG) for check writing. These pens have special ink that has particles of color in it.

The color becomes trapped in the check paper, making it extremely difficult to wash off or alter the writing.

See? These are great tips. Use ‘em. I will.