what prevents people from using the routing and account number at the bottom of the check to steal from the account or write fraudulent checks?
In: Other
There’s usually nothing stopping it but there are lots of ways to get caught. Before a check clears, banks may do additional verification of names or other details on the check which is easier than ever with today’s technology. Before accepting a check, most businesses do ask for ID. If the name on the check is wrong, it won’t go through. If the name on the check is right, it won’t match the scammer’s ID. If they have a fake ID that’s another criminal charge if/when they get caught. And it’s in business’s own interest to check IDs because they are the ones who won’t get paid if the check is bad, it’s not like shady businesses will just let a little fraud happen, they are the victims of it.
It‘s kind of like stealing a credit card or skimming numbers and using it to buy stuff. Nobody’s stopping you at first, but eventually you’ll be on camera using it somewhere, or there will be a record of goods being shipped to your address. And the merchant you paid is the one who ultimately doesn’t get their money when the transaction gets reversed, so they will happily hand any info they have over to police to track you down.
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