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If a check you mailed may have been stolen, contact your bank or credit union immediately and find out whether it is still outstanding or has already been paid. Ask about a stop payment before sending a replacement. If it was fraudulently cashed, dispute the transaction with the bank, notify the intended recipient, and report the mail theft to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) and local police.
1. Contact your bank or credit union first
Call the institution that holds the account the check was drawn on. Give it the check number and amount if you know them, explain that the check may have been stolen, and ask whether it has been presented or paid. CFPB’s guidance is direct: “Contact your bank or credit union right away.” CFPB consumer guidance, reviewed December 18, 2024.
If the check has not been cashed
Ask the bank whether to place a stop payment and what information, timing, or fee applies. Confirm the stop payment is in effect before issuing a replacement, and coordinate with the recipient so the original is not deposited if it later turns up. Procedures and fees vary by institution; confirm them directly.
USPS advises considering whether to close the potentially compromised account and open a new one in the situations it describes. Ask your bank whether that is appropriate for your circumstances; it is not an automatic requirement in every case. USPS mail-theft guidance
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If the check has already been paid
Tell the bank you believe the check was fraudulently negotiated and ask to open a dispute or investigation. Request images of the front and back of the check; these may help establish the named payee, signature, and where it was deposited. Ask the institution to investigate and restore the money, but do not assume the outcome before the facts and applicable rules are reviewed.
2. Understand why the check’s details matter
Forged payee signature versus signed blank check
CFPB says state law generally provides that a consumer is not responsible when someone forges the signature of the person to whom the check was payable. Its guidance distinguishes that situation from a check the account holder signed while blank, which another person then completed with their own name and cashed. In the signed-blank-check situation, recovery may not be available on the same basis. Contact the bank in either case, and describe exactly what was signed and what appears on the check. CFPB’s explanation of stolen and cashed checks
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Check processed as an electronic transfer
If the payment was processed as an electronic transfer rather than through ordinary check processing, CFPB says additional federal-law protections may apply. Ask the bank how it processed the transaction and which dispute process applies.
3. Tell the intended recipient
Let the person or organization you mailed the check to know it may be compromised. Agree on whether and when to send a replacement only after discussing the original with your bank. Tell the recipient not to accept or deposit the original if it arrives later.
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4. Report the mail theft
Report suspected mail theft to USPIS, the federal law-enforcement agency responsible for investigating crimes involving the U.S. Mail, and file a report with local police. USPIS accepts reports through its online reporting route or by phone at 1-877-876-2455. USAGov also lists that number for USPIS. USAGov: U.S. Postal Inspection Service
Be ready to provide the date, time, and location where you mailed the check; the mailing service used; the original payee and contact information; and, if known, the financial institution where the check was deposited. If the check was altered, USPS asks for copies of both sides. Preserve relevant evidence, such as the envelope, mailing receipt, bank statements showing the debit, and security footage, and give it to investigators.
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If you suspect a USPS employee was involved, report that separately to the USPS Office of Inspector General. A general service complaint and a suspected crime are not the same reporting route; USAGov explains how to file a USPS complaint.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.5. Use the issuing agency’s process for a U.S. Treasury check
If the missing check was issued by the U.S. Treasury, report it to the agency that issued it and follow that agency’s lost-or-stolen-check process. USPS directs Treasury-check reports to the issuing agency. USAGov’s government-check guidance can help identify the appropriate process.
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6. Take identity-theft steps if personal information was exposed
A missing check alone does not prove that someone stole your identity. If other mail or personal information was also taken, or the check exposed information that could put accounts at risk, review bank and credit-card statements and your credit reports. Contact affected banks or creditors, report mail-involved identity theft to USPIS, and consider placing a fraud alert. See USAGov’s identity-theft guidance and USPS’s identity-theft information.
Quick Recap
Keep a record of what you report
- Record call dates, names, claim or case numbers, and any letters or forms from the bank, police, USPIS, or issuing agency.
- Save check images, statements showing any debit, the envelope and mailing receipt, and relevant security footage.
- Keep the mailing details USPIS requests: date, time, location, service used, original payee and contact information, and the deposit institution if known.
- Keep copies of both sides of an altered check if available.
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