Avoid using fountain pens to write cheques, says Chong

PETALING JAYA: Malaysians are advised to avoid using fountain pens or those with ink that are easily washable when writing details on cheques to prevent fraud.

MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Seri Michael Chong urged the people to use a ballpoint pen as the ink was more permanent.

He also advised the people to make a copy of the cheque before issuing or sending the cheque to the recipient, and not sending cheques via the mail.

“When writing details on the cheque, try not to leave too much blank space where fraudsters can add letters or numbers,” he said yesterday.

Chong said he had received eight such complaints involving tens of thousands of ringgit since 2011.

“There are many forms of such cheating using cheques,” he said, adding that one of the ways was where fraudsters intercepted the cheques while they were being delivered and altered instructions written on the cheques like the payee’s name, date and amount, leaving only the signature intact.

Chong said fraudsters were believed to use a high-performance eraser to clean off printed words, from ballpoint pen ink to typewriter ribbon ink and other printed letters.

After removing the details from the cheque and leaving only the signature, the suspects would then “fill in the blanks”.

Chong said another way was where the fraudsters would add letters or numbers into the details written on the cheque.

Chong added that fraudsters also used a computer and scanner to produce “clean” copies of the altered cheques.