
Check washing is performed by taking a check that you have filled out, covering your signature with tape, and soaking the check in acetone. The acetone removes almost all types of ink from the paper of the check and the tape that is over the signature leaves your signature intact. Thus, leaving a blank check with your signature on it for any scammer to use for any amount he or she may wish. It's a pretty easy method of attack and there are numerous post on how to do it accessible on the internet.
So why does this work? Well, most pen's ink just applies it's marking to the top level of the check, making it easy to remove and leaving a near intact check behind. It's a scary thought, but it is preventable by using the Uniball 207 pen. The Uniball 207 uses an ink cartridge that embeds itself into the check paper, making it unwashable. There is even a press release by Frank Abagnale, the person the movie "Catch Me If You Can" was based on, stating the secureness of this in available on Uniball's webpage. The statement also goes further into the details of check washing and is definitely worth the read.
A four pack of these pens goes for $9.58 at Amazon.com, which is a great deal when you consider them as a tool for additional financial security. They write smooth w/ their gel cartridge and have a great rubber grip....but to keep from sounding too much like an advertisement, I still prefer my Dr. Grip Gravity pen
Also, for those of you who use fountain pens, Noodler's ink produces cartridges that have the same properties as the Uniball 207. Click on this link and read the "Bulletproof" section (Section 3) to learn more.
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