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The majority of local frauds are the result of the passing of stolen
and forged checks, the use of stolen credit cards and simple passing of
checks on a closed account. Identity theft is also on the rise. Regardless
of the type of fraud, prosecution depends on law enforcement identifying
the person who committed the fraud. To this end, the following is required
to assist the police in successful investigation and prosecution.
 | Obtain photo ID from the person presenting the check or credit card.
Write the number on the check or credit slip. A driver’s license or ID
card, military ID or a passport are valid forms of ID. |
| Verify that the photo on the ID matches the person making the
purchase. |
| Verify that the signature on the check or credit card matches the
signature on the ID. |
Do not take for granted that a pre-printed driver’s license number on a
check printed by the bank or by the hand of the check passer is valid.
Verify it with photo ID.
Many of the thefts of checks and credit cards are from mailboxes. If
you do not have a secured mailbox, consider taking the following steps.
| Pick up your mail as soon as possible after delivery or have a
trusted neighbor do it for you. |
| Mail checks and items with account numbers from a secure mailbox. Do
not leave them in your curb-side mailbox. |
| Have your personal checks delivered to your bank rather than your
mailbox. |
These simple steps can help protect our citizens and businesses from
common frauds and make our job less complicated. Please feel free to
contact the Snohomish Department of Public Safety if you have any
questions. Thank you for your time and attention to this matter.
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