Faxing a voided check
I’ve been asked to send a voided check to my real estate agent for the house we’re buying. I’m a little psyched out about emailing it, but I don’t know if mailing it or faxing it would be better.
I absolutely would not recommend mailing your check. There’s always a chance it can get lost in the postal system, and if the wrong person gets their hands on it, they could modify an actual check, not just a facsimile. The same goes, to a lesser degree, for emailing. An email is direct but not terribly secure, and it’s hard to be sure that your information has been permanently deleted once it enters the digital space.
While sending a voided check in any capacity might seem a little scary, faxing is definitely your safest bet. Your account information, address, and routing number are limited to a specific physical space with limited staff. Make sure you confirm with your agent that the voided check will be destroyed once the relevant information is obtained, write the word VOID in bold letters across the face of it, triple-check the real estate agent’s fax number, and make sure you trust the real estate agency to be discreet and professional. With those safety precautions in place, there is very little reason to worry that a voided check could be stolen or used to drain your account.
Do you have a question about faxing? Send me your fax question.
