Cheque Question

[mintymow]

I wrote a crossed A/C payee cheque payable to a friend and it has subsequently been lost. Do I have to stop it at the bank? Could it be cashed by anyone finding it perhaps at one of the cheque cashing shops?

[grasscarp]

Report it to your bank anyway. (I would)

[New Judge]

Yes. There are a lot of people about who make a living by fraudulent conversion of "instruments" that do not belong to them. Chances are it will not fall into the wrong hands, but you never know. However, if your bank charges a fee that is greater than the value of the cheque.....

[mintymow]

Thanks for your response. Reported it to the bank who stopped the cheque and there was no charge, so all well.

[vakayu]

Sorry to intervene but does that mean that a crossed cheque nowadays is not really safe?

[New Judge]

Nothing is "really safe" vakayu.

There are legions of people around who use all manner of scams to steal money. A cheque that has been lost could well end up among those legions and there are ways and means of using the cheque and/or the information it contains to steal.