Thursday night after I got off of work I went to wally world to see what they have left. Wearing my scrubs I only had one pocket. So I had my wallet in my scrubs. My checkbook was in my coat pocket. Bought a couple of DVD's and donuts, then bought a buck soda at McDonald's. A friend left me a to go plate on her front porch. I stopped and picked it up. When I got home I realized my checkbook wasn't in my pocket or in my car. I checked with my friend and also with wal mart and the checkbook was no where to be found. Thankfully all the checks were written out, so all there was were the duplicates. Also had my debit card and JCC Jaquar card, and EBT card. I have been able to cancel and order a new debit card and EBT card. My only concern is on the duplicates it shows my home address. Should I be worked about a possible break in or somehow getting fraudulent accounts created in my name. Should I be concerned?
Don't worry about a home break in but call your bank and they will give u the best advice on any identity theft issues that could arise . Also might be a lifestyle change but stop using checks unless they are absolutely needed.
I didn't think about asking the bank about any identity issues. I'll give them a call in the AM. It usually takes about two months for me to write a pack of checks, That is where I keep the debit card. Thanks Bob V
I have not written a check in almost 5 years. I don't even know where my check book is. Even before that, I wrote maybe 12 a year (just for my rent for my apartment in North Raleigh from 2006-2008).
I know people who don't write checks but let all their bills direct access to their aco****. Well with me being in school and only working part time I do not want to loose control over my money. Dont need Duke or time warner jsut taking money out when there isn't enough money in the account. Having a check book lets me (at least in my mind) keep control of when and who gets paid. They all eventually get paid. But when and only when I have the funds to pay them. For me its easier to write a check then to remember to go to my online bank account and change dates and such. I once had heard a horror story from some good friends of mine who had a gym account in FL. The gym had access to taking money out from their account. And even when they cancelled their gym account the gym kept taking money out for almost a year afterwards. NO THANKS. I do not give up that control to money that I have earned. I will use my debit card for gas and wal mart and other places that would normally give me back my check.
The companies don't take money from your account. You use bill pay to decide when the bank will send the payment. It's far different than what happened to the gym membership you described
I too still use paper checks .. seldom use but still do it. I also use automatic debit/draft/e-check for some bills. I am more ofen Without cash then With cash so the checks come in handy for places that do not take debit card .. like Goodwill stores. Once GCF starts to take debit cards then my paper checks will come extinct I'm sure :hurray:
If the duplicate checks have your account number, you may also want to contact the credit bureaus and get a freeze put on your credit. Good luck.
Thankfully both my signature and account number are blocked out. Its just that they now have my home address that I worry about. Many years ago when I still lived in Boca Raton Florida, my check book fell out of my pocket right in front of my bank. And it was around the same time frame as now. Some guy picked it up and walked in to the bank and wrote himself a Christmas gift of 100.00 and signed my name. But the dang fool was stupid enough to put his real name in the payee field. So once I reported the check book gone and that I had not written that check they were able to locate him and arrest him.
I have a checkbook, but rarely ever write a check, and it stays at home. I pay almost every bill thru the bank's online bill pay. It is free, and I decide when the bill is paid. Almost everyone of the bills are paid by the bank through electronic transactions, so get there very quickly. Check into it for yourself, it saves a lot of worry.
I do both, pay a lot of bills online, some automatic, but i still carry my checkbook. Local businesses, which i choose to deal with as much as possible, prefer a check from someone they trust to avoid the fees associated with check cards. We both have direct deposit so cash on hand seems to be a thing of the past but if me writing a check saves independent business owners paying a fee i am all for that.
For me it is all about ease of use. I rarely carry cash and if I had a check book than that is just something else I have to deal with. while the card is always in my wallet and just much easier to use.
Your concern is someone (presumably with ill intentions) has access to your bank account number, routing number, and home address. Do you not give this information out every time you hand a legitimate check to someone or place it in the mail? Do you assume every minimum wage employee at Time Warner, Duke Power, Food Lion, your school, your gym etc. is honest and would use this information differently than a stranger that found your checks? Point is - the information on your checks is easily attainable, but the type of fraud you describe is very rare - I wouldn't sweat it.
