Due to a significant rise in the theft of checks that are being sent through the mail, it is being recommended that businesses and individuals look at other forms of payment when paying bills or mailing paychecks.
Please contact your bank to find out what they feel is the most secure method of payment and creates the least amount of risk for you or your business. Some examples would be using banks directly to send payment(s) or by using credit cards online/phone etc.
Enterprising criminals have been able to wash checks and replace the payee information, take data from the checks and create their own checks as well as open new credit lines and create fraudulent businesses/identities.
If it is absolutely necessary to send a check through the mail, it would be recommended to take it into the post office and not use a drop box or personal mailbox. Also recommended would be not using an envelope with see through window similar to what you would normally find when you pay a bill/invoice or send a paycheck or any envelope that states there is a payment inside. Using envelopes like these allow criminals to more easily identify which envelopes could contain check(s).