If I WERE a complete idiot, I MAY have done THIS....

February 5, 2009 10:02 AM

Sensitive information left out on a desk...uh, hypothetically.

Assume for a second that I'm a complete idiot. Imagine that I, hypothetically, left out some paperwork on my work desk overnight. This is a light traffic area, and unlikely to be seen or noticed by many. Paperwork was upside down. Unfortunately, this hypothetical paperwork contained a voided check with my bank, routing number, account number, my name and my (hypothetical) wife's, and our address.

What kind of damage could someone do with information like that?

How would they do it? Would they need to make up a fake driver's license with my name and their picture on it?

What should I be vigilant about looking at to avoid losing any money for my hypothetical boneheadedness? Bank statements? Should I think about putting a freeze on my account?

Anything else I should do, or be aware of?

posted by Spyder's Game to work & money (10 comments total)

Anyone who received a real check from you would have this same information, right? Check your activity history and credit report every few weeks if you are concerned.
posted by Saucy Intruder at 10:07 AM on February 5 [1 favorite]

There is next to nothing that anyone could to with information found on a voided cheque. As Saucy Intruder has pointed out, this is nothing more than what anyone would be able to find out from receiving a real cheque from you.

Two things that voided cheques can be used for (or, more accurately, the information on them):
1- People can use that information to deposit money into your account
2- A lot of charities and utilities companies can use the information to set up a direct debit - however this is accompanied by a form that you fill out and sign. (Account info must match billing info)

Pretty unlikely that anyone walking by your desk would try to deposit money into your account (but hey, one can dream!), or fraudulently sign you up to pay your water bill automatically.
posted by vodkaboots at 10:49 AM on February 5

Unless the check was for sexual favors, drugs, or a political bribe then let it go. As Saucy Intruder said, it's not like that information isn't accessible to plenty of people.
posted by Ookseer at 10:54 AM on February 5

With the information on any of your checks, blank, unsigned, used, or voided, a scammer can withdraw money. Amazingly, all they need is a routing number and an account number and they're good to go.

Here's Donald Knuth (Stanford CS) explaining why he stopped sending out reward checks to readers who found typos in his books.
posted by zippy at 10:56 AM on February 5

It's unlikely anything bad could happen, but not impossible.

My workplace had a break-in over the winter holidays. Although very little was disturbed, the accounting office had been entered and the interlopers could theoretically have seen our direct deposit information (name, bank account number and so forth). The police advised that if nothing had happened in the first 24 hours, it was exteremely unlikely anything would later. Still, to be totally sure, I closed that account and opened a new one, which my bank said was the only way to be 100% certain.

Incidentally, when I was about thirty, I withdrew a large sum from this same bank to buy a cello. As the amount I needed was considerably in excess of what I could take out through the ATM, I filled out a withdrawal slip and stood in line at the teller for the first time in a decade or so. When I handed over my withdrawal slip, there was some frowning and calling in of other tellers, who also frowned. Ultimately I was approached by a Guy with a Tie, who told me they could not honour the withdrawal slip because signature on the slip did not match the one on file. "The one on file?"

From when I opened the account. At age eight.

After convincing my bank that my signature had indeed changed from the laborious schoolboy scrawl they had on record, I was asked to provide a new, current signature for their files. I did this, and the bank employees then compared the one I had just written on the form with the one I had written minutes before on the withdrawal slip. Satisfied that they matched, they then gave me my money.

The moral of the story is that if you can write my name twice, you can have all my money.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 11:32 AM on February 5 [13 favorites]

if you are worried about identity theft or fraud, then you can call the 3 credit bureaus and ask them to put a "fraud alert" onto your file. that means if anyone tries to open up any lines of credit in your name, the credit bureaus will contact you to verify. a fraud alert lasts 6 months, i think, after which time you can either renew or not. i had to do this when our ymca had computers stolen -- computers containing info like name/address/routing numbers, etc.

but this was in your workplace? and the papers were face down? personally, i wouldn't be too worried. check your bank statements for any suspicious activity, but don't lose sleep over it.
posted by fancyoats at 11:36 AM on February 5

With the information on any of your checks, blank, unsigned, used, or voided, a scammer can withdraw money. Amazingly, all they need is a routing number and an account number and they're good to go.

That's my experience as well. I was ID thefted a few years ago. Someone made a copy of my check, changed some names and numbers and cashed it for several thousand. With the info from the check they also were able to access my online account.

The good news is that I access my online account almost daily so I caught onto it immediately and the bank made good on all money stolen.

So I'd suggest checking your online account daily as well as putting a "fraud alert" on your file (as mentioned above). This should cover it given your situation.

If you really want to be careful, contact the bank and change your account number as well as your online username and password. But unless you see any evidence of fraudulent activity, that might be overkill for now.
posted by cjets at 12:12 PM on February 5

Nthing the "overkill" line of thinking: monitor, but don't close.

Once this passes, you may enjoy the Flight of the Conchords episode in which Murray, having left a piss-off note when resigning his last job, returns sheepishly only to find that no one has read the note -- left sitting on his desk -- for weeks. He happily resumes his post.
posted by Clyde Mnestra at 2:04 PM on February 5

We had $500 taken out of our checking account by someone transferring money to his brokerage account (he ahd the same routing number as us and his account number was 1 digit off of ours). Obviously this was an honest mistake (and was quickly rectified), but it made me realize how easy it would be for anyone with a copy of our checks to steal our money.

I'd go with the overkill.
posted by dogmom at 4:41 PM on February 5

Just a note that placing a fraud alert won't actually do a whole lot except show up whenever someone runs your credit while it is active. I placed on my accounts after a credit card was stolen, then when I signed up for cable they checked my credit and said "Oh, it looks like you have a fraud alert" to which I replied "Yep" and that was that. It will give them a heads up but there is no automatic level of higher scrutiny or special verification.

There is no harm in doing it, but it is no replacement for other, more effective steps.
posted by Chrishartley at 3:53 PM on February 6