Lost Or Stolen Checks

May 27

It is never fun to deal with lost or stolen checks; however sometimes we have no control over the issues that we face. So what should you do if you have lost or stolen checks? If this happens during normal business hours you will want to notify your bank immediately to let them know the situation. If your bank has a 24/7 operator that you can get in touch with then you will want to notify them of the situation; however when your bank opens up for business the next day you will also want to stop by and let them know about the situation.

If possible your bank will issue a stop check service to ensure that no checks are written in your account. Some of the banks will also be able to provide a freeze on your bank account so that no transactions can take place. I know this from experience; because I had a similar situation happen and when I notified my bank; they immediately froze my account so that no one could access any funds in it including myself. Once the situation was resolved they gave me a new account number and reopened up my account.

You can also notify the major check verification companies; they will notify all the retailers who use their databases and inform them to not accept any of the checks that contain any of your personal information. However you will have to provide them with the information that they require to ensure that no one uses your identification.

Some of the most popular check verification companies are:

ChexSystems
Consumer Relations (800) 428-9623,
(800) 328-5121
(regarding closed checking accounts only)
Attn: Consumer Relations
12005 Ford Road - Suite 600
Dallas, TX 75234
Fax: (214) 241-4772

CrossCheck, Inc.
(707) 586-0551
(800) 552-1900
6119 State Farm Drive
Rohnert Park, CA 94928
http://www.cross-check.com

National Processing Company
Merchant Services
(800) 526-5380
(502) 364-2000
http://www.npc.net

TeleCheck
(800) 366-2425
http://www.telecheck.com

Contact your local police department and file a police report of the situation. You will want to provide them all the information that took place and they will let you know what they need. Once they make a report of the incident keep it for future uses; so that if something does happen with your account you can dispute it with the copy of the police report.

If you take these steps if you ever find out that you have lost or gotten your checks stolen then you will realize that the situation should be resolved quickly so that you can get your peace of mind back again.

Another precautionary matter you should consider is getting identity theft protection; this will insure that no one will be able to open up any kind of accounts in your name if they do get a hold of sensitive information that creditors ask for when opening up new accounts