Stolen Tax Checks: Protect Yourself

0:00It's April 23rd. Welcome to California News Today, powered by AI. Bay Area folks are reeling from a spike in stolen property tax checks where crooks snatch mail, alter the pay, and cash them quick. These weren't just random hits. Taxpayers' mail payments thinking they were safe, but these turned them into easy scores. Check fraud jumped 11% this year. Even as total check used dropped 7% nationwide, according to financial crime trackers at Verifin, scammers ramp up during tax time, hitting mailboxes hard when payments flow. Taxpayers feel the burn, out hundreds or thousands with drained accounts and headaches chasing banks for refunds. It's a wake up call in an era where paper checks should be fading, but old habits die hard. Experts point to smarter defenses like fraud-resistant checkpaper and gel pins that won't wash off, plus drawing lines through blank spaces to block. Head-ons always scan your online bank images right away and report issues fast. Ditch the mail altogether, go digital for payments to sidestep dismiss entirely, keeping

1:04your cash locked down tight.