Secure transaction?

Roger, this article might provide some information for you. Giving it a quick browse, I don't note the answer to your specific question about multiple scans of a check, but it does explain the process of paper check conversion to an electronic check. I'll do a little bit more snooping to see if I can find a site that answers your specific question.

https://www.pcc.gov/News/ElecCheckWins.htm

Ok, found an answer to your specific question. I'm not satisfied with the answer given. It doesn't say anything about a merchant employee doing multiple scans of the same check and what security is in place for that.

With electronic check conversion, may I use the same check more than once?

No. An electronic check conversion transaction is a one-time electronic payment from your account. If you were to use the same check for more than one transaction and you had a problem with one of the transactions, your financial institution might have difficulty investigating the problem because the same check number would appear more than once on your statement.

More answers to FAQs can be found here:

http://www.federalreserve.gov/pubs/checkconv/default.htm

and

https://www.pcc.gov/pcc/usingpcc/FAQs/faqsmain.htm

It's possible but it would require a far greater degree of sophistication than to abuse paper checks. in addition it's much harder to get away with because there are a lot fewer people who can process an e-check than a paper one.

In my uneducated opinion it's probably a lot safer. Less margin for error all around and plus the possibility of double billing exists with paper checks and credit and debit cards as well. Right now I am helping a man find his identy theif, the theif stole over $30,000 dollars by taking a voided check that was sent to a Mercedes dealer and forging a signature that included the word "void" and cashing it.

To pull a stunt like that with e-checks would be much harder and much eaier to trace.

All I had to do was ask! Well, granddad probably didn't trust paper money, either. Thanks to both of you.

As a matter of fact, the company I work for had a check counterfeited (not altered), and the counterfeiters attempted to pass it. Suspicions on the part of the merchant caused it to be rejected, but it was darned good workmanship. They even considerately changed one digit in the account number so we wouldn't get stuck with payment.

One thing your question made me think of is how security is percieved in direct relation to how much one understands about the system. I understand technological transactions better than I understand their more "conventional" counterparts, and subsequently feel safer with digital transactions.

One interesting thing to look into is whether there are improved safety measures, I have found that when new technology for transactions tries to get a market share they sometimes go above and beyond when it comes to security. e.g. Visa has a plan for online transactions that makes it far safer than offline transactions by ultimately giving you a "veto" on all online transactions.

In any case our examples highlight a key difference, with paper checks anyone who comes across it can counterfeit or otherwise abuse it. With e-checks the merchant almost always has to be involved so it lessens the chances of abuse.

I live in a rural area. Most jobs are miminum wage and many people are unemployed. Local merchants are delighted with the debit card which has cut down on the number of rubber checks and the hassle and bank fees that go with them.

Businesses where bills are paid by mail are still living with hassle. A Garbage Service with 3000 customers had more than 50 bounced checks every two month pay period.

In the example, the customer watched the check being scanned (once!) and the check was then returned to the customer. I'm not sure how this could work by mail.

I guess this is the coming thing. My last bank statement included a deduction for my American Express payment but no check. There was an asterisk by the deduction. There was an explanation that the check was not received by the bank but was an electronic transaction. It further stated that American Express was required to destroy the check but maintain a copy. It further stated that American Express was required to provide me with a copy of the check upon request.

I've been paying bills by computer for quite a while now, and I haven't been charged twice for anything. Most charges have a "confirmation number." I always make a hard copy for my records.

E_CHECK
Hello

I am new in this forum , do you know if this e_check is :

- existing for Non _ us user ?

- If this is efficient or not ? As it is too a new system to need to be tried ?

super_trader

All I know is the we've gone from writing 500-600 checks a year to about 20. All our bills are paid electronically and I can send money to anyone via a bank produced check as long as I have their address. (I just paid off my Yankees-Red Sox bet with my brother this way.) Other folks are paid through Pay-pal.

A merchant couldn't use the check a second time because of the numbering on it. Look at your check. At the bottom there are a series of numbers the first is the banking routing number, the second series is your bank account number (which is why it's a bad idea to use them.) and the last digits are the check number which in the case cited above is used as the transaction number. If a merchant (or the check owner) tried to run the check through again, it would come up as "transaction already complete".

Those last few check that we write are to our local laundry when they deliver (this is New York) and, believe or not, when we want to be a little old fashioned about sending a gift of money.

Joe

For sure, Joe. Restaurant tips and end of year gifts from me are always cash - never credit cards. What I chose to pay my waitresses is the business of neither management nor the IRS.