The $3 Pen That Beats a $20,000 Theft: How “Check Washing” Works — and the Reporting Clock Your Bank Doesn’t Advertise
A Long Island widow mailed three checks from the post office parking lot; thieves rewrote and cashed about $20,000 of them. The law usually puts the loss on the bank — but only if you report it inside your bank’s window, which can be as short as two weeks. Here’s how washing works, the clock, and the five fixes that cost about $3.