Federal Trade Commission: Stolen Checks

If an identity thief steals your paper checks, uses the account number from the bottom of your checks, or opens a new account in your name, contact your bank or financial institution as soon as possible and ask them to close your account. 

Federal law doesn’t limit your loss if a thief forges your signature on your checks or uses your account number to buy something by phone. Most states hold banks responsible for losses from those fraudulent transactions. For their part, banks expect you to take reasonable care of your accounts. That means you might be responsible for a loss if you know there’s a problem, but you don’t report it to your bank quickly.  

 

For more details on reporting stolen checks click the link below. 

FTC - Stolen Checks