Personal Check Security

Life is more complicated than it used to be. Your checks have to have certain information - your name, the name of your financial institution, your account number and the ABA routing number - but are you putting too much information on them?

Security experts now recommend leaving off information like your phone number because it makes it easier to steal your identity. It seems easier to have it printed on the check, since many retailers will ask for it, but that convenience could leave you open to possible fraud.

Here are some security features that you can get on printed checks:

Void Pantographs: This is an invisible Void that only appears if the check is photocopied or scanned.

Chemical Voids: Again, this is invisible until eradication chemicals are applied to the paper, then either the word Void will become visible or the paper will show a stain, making the check unalterable.

Erasure Protection: The paper will show a stain if anyone tries to erase the writing on the check.

Watermarks : Watermarks can only be viewed by holding the check at a specific angle and cannot be reproduced by a scanner or copier.

Invisible fibers and security ink: These are only visible under black light, and are very difficult to reproduce.