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Home >> Checks/Money Orders
Is a Certified Check Safe?
A person wants to pay by certified check for an item I'm selling. How easy is it to forge one, and if I accept, how long before I know it has cleared?
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 Checks are not hard to counterfeit. Consider this, if we gave you a check drawn off our bank in Portland or Miami, would you know what it is supposed to look like? No, so you wouldn't recognize it as a fake and neither would your bank when you deposit it. If your bank called and verified the check, asked what security features were present and if this check and number were outstanding, you have a better chance of it being valid. How long it takes to clear depends on where the banks are located, weekends and holidays involved, etc. Cash, a wire transfer, a Western Union payment, or waiting until the check clears by verifying it with the paying bank are viable options to ensure you are paid.
Published on BankingQuestions.com 3/23/10
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