does anyone know how to find out if a check is real or not. other than trying to cash it?????

Answer 1

Gatsby216 is WRONG...check counterfiters use existing checking information and when you call the bank to see if your check is good...the bank either will refuse to verify or they will tell you yes...

There isn't a good way to tell if the check you have in your hands is valid besides attempting to cash it and waiting 21 days for the check to come back. Or you can go to the bank the check is drawn off to see if they will cash it...this doesn't mean it is good but it is safer than putting it in your account as your bank legally can only put an 11 business day hold on the check and that is 10 days not enough to see if it is good or not. There are easy ways to check to see if the check is good...

Does it have a 9 digit routing number?
Does the bank address match the bank name?
Does the check have any spelling errors or is the ink raised on it?
Was this a check you were expecting or did you "win the lottery" but you never actually entered into a lottery drawing?
Did the person who sent you the check ask you to wire funds back to them?
Is it a cashiers check or money order (huge fraud right now with these two instruments because people assume they are still "guaranteed funds" but they are not)?


These are red flags your teller will look for...but beyond that without running the check thru the system it is difficult to tell if it is coutnerfite or just plain fake. The check counterfiters are working ahead of the banks at this point...they buy valid banking information that is stolen (never ignore a letter stating your account info has been stolen from a company) and they start printing checks off valid accounts. So if you were to call the bank they would say..."yes that is a valid account with our bank." This is actually why banks do not verify if there are funds in a persons account and why most will not even verify if the account is with their bank anymore...because they are very keen to the fact their customers banking information could have been compromised.

The best thing you can do is deposit the check and ask the bank to put a 21 business day hold on the check. If a check is not retuned in this time period it is most likely valid.

Answer 2

Sure it is easy. First call the issuing bank. They will ask you for the 9 digit routing number, account number, and check number. On the bottom of the check you can find those items in that order from left to right.
The bank can say if the name on the account matches the one on the check. Is the check number odd, ie too high or too low for other recent activity, or never issued.
Just by asking, you are probably thinking it is fake.
You can deposit it, but DO NOT give any of those funds back until you can verify it has cleared, which may take 10 days. YOU are liable for YOUR checking account.
Be careful even a certifed check can bounce if it is fake.

Answer 3

The biggest clue whether it's counterfeit or not is how you acquired it. There are a lot of check scams and fraud out there so if it even resembles one, I guarantee it's counterfeit.
bdancer222 listed a good resource.
here's some more:
http://www.fraud.org/tips/internet/fakecheck.htm
http://www.snopes.com/crime/fraud/cashier.asp
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2007/02/fyi0716.shtm
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre40.shtm

You should know the person giving you the check (personally and not on the internet) and there should be some legitimate reason you have the check such as you sold something you own or they're paying you back for something. If the check just happened to come to you out of the blue then it's probably no good. If you yourself has doubts, then there's probably something very wrong with it.

Answer 4

How did you get this check? Check this site: http://www.fakechecks.org/ Anything there fit your check?

If this check came from an unknown source, it is probably a scam.

Answer 5

Look for a watermark in the print

Answer 6

go to a BANK AND ASK THEM.