by Joseph Kenny | 02/16/08

Law enforcement experts this year say that using credit cards may be preferable to using checks for a variety of security reasons.

To begin with, there are numerous opportunities for thieves to pilfer checks away. That's because checks must pass through numerous hands before they are safely deposited into accounts. Unscrupulous employees can end up swiping checks, cheating you out of your hard-earned money.

According to experts, for the most part, lawbreakers can cash stolen checks easily. For instance, a number of stores do not ask for identity verification. They may neglect to out of forgetfulness, or out of a desire not to offend their customers. Stores consider losses from fraud to be a simple cost of doing business and they routinely pass on these losses to customers in the form of higher prices. Verifying identification can also be time-consuming-many stores simply don't want to hold up the lines at their registers for this routine security practice.

In this day and age, criminals do not actually have to steal checks to take advantage of them. They simply need to record information from a blank check. With the aid of a cheap computer program, they can then print new checks utilizing the stolen account information. Even if you put a stop payment on some check numbers, you could still end up losing money to such a scheme.

Rip-off artists can use your checking account number to perform both phone and Internet transactions. This could all happen without your knowledge, leaving you with less money in your checking account than you thought you had.

As a result of all this, financial experts say you need to safeguard your checkbook as if it's gold. You should also limit the amount of personal info you have printed on your checks. For instance, do not include your social security number, driver's license number, or your date of birth on your checks. In addition, if you are using a check to pay a bill, don't write your account number on the comment line of the check. Once the check is cancelled, that information could end up in the hands of a fraud artist.