Despite a growing fraud risk, some Americans aren't ready to give up their checkbooks.
Paper checks might be an endangered species in the modern economy - but don't expect them to go extinct soon.
Decades before plastic became the default currency at the cash register and Venmo became a verb, pulling out a paper checkbook to pay for weekly groceries was a standard routine in American life.
Even beyond the supermarket, it was common to use checks at malls, big-box stores or gas stations until the early 2000s, when they were ultimately upstaged by credit and debit cards. Today, while some retailers still accept checks, an attempt to pay with anything other than cash or card is likely to result in a blank stare from a Gen Z cashier.
In 2024, checks accounted for just 4% of noncash payments, according to new Federal Reserve data, down significantly from 59% in 2000. While that's a dramatic plunge, economic experts don't expect physical checks to completely die soon.
Bonnie Bell, a brand-management director for a wealth-advisory firm in Pennsylvania, is among the 4% still using checks. In fact, she prefers using them - Bell said she has power of attorney over an aging relative to whom she regularly mails checks, and uses checks to pay for medical expenses, donations and gifts.
"If I'm giving a gift ... I just think there's something more personal for them opening a card and having that piece of paper come fluttering out," Bell said. "As opposed to me saying, 'What's your Venmo $(PYPL)$?'"
From the archives (July 2024): Target won't take your paper checks anymore, but these major retailers will. The humble check isn't dead yet.
While people like Bell prefer checks because they leave a paper trail and don't come with the processing fees often tacked onto electronic payments, money experts say there's a significant fraud risk that's growing - even as check usage declines.
Checks are "still available, and availability is what swindlers want," said Greg Williamson, head of fraud commercialization strategy at Nasdaq $(NDAQ)$ Verafin, a financial crime management software platform. "[Artificial intelligence] is driving the ease of ability for criminals and quasi-criminals to now enter that market and start basically leveraging this paper-check environment to easily make money."
Writing checks has become risky
While overall check usage has fallen, check fraud increased 11% between 2024 and 2025, according to Nasdaq Verafin data. Among the 2,700 financial institutions it works with, Nasdaq Verafin caught $1 billion in check fraud in 2025 alone.
Much of check fraud comes from mail theft, fraud experts say, which is why mailing checks is not recommended. If checks need to be mailed, doing it from the post office rather than a mailbox or a blue U.S. Postal Service collection box is advised.
One factor experts say has led to the increase in check fraud has to do with the dollar amounts involved. The average value of a check payment was $2,653 in 2024 - a $300 jump since 2021 and a nearly threefold increase since 2000 - implying checks are used more often by businesses than for everyday consumer activity.
The data also suggests that when consumers do use checks, it's increasingly for larger payments, such as a home-improvement project, according to Scott Anchin, senior vice president of strategic initiatives and policy for the Independent Community Bankers of America. For example, someone who owes a contractor $2,000 might reach for their checkbook if they don't have that much cash and want to avoid a credit-card fee.
But bigger numbers written on checks make them a bigger target for swindlers, Anchin said.
From the archives (January 2022): Beware of the surge in thefts of paper checks
"They know when they see a check in the mail, it's not likely to be a small, everyday payment," he said. "It's more likely to be a larger, more specialized payment."
If you must write a check, take these steps to protect yourself
While checks might feel familiar or secure, you're ultimately handing over your account and routing numbers that are printed on the small slip of paper. Making an online payment is more secure, experts say, but if you have to write a check, keep these things in mind.
-- Use a black gel pen: Black gel ink gets absorbed into the paper fibers. Standard ballpoint ink is incredibly easy for criminals to erase using nail-polish remover, said Teresa Murray, consumer watchdog director at the Public Interest Research Group.
-- Write legibly and leave no blank spaces: Don't give criminals room to add an extra zero to the amount.
-- Spell out the payee: For example, instead of writing "IRS," spell out "Internal Revenue Service" or "U.S. Treasury." In the past, scammers easily turned "IRS" into "Mrs." and tacked their name onto it, Murray said.
-- Verify cleared check images: Don't just check your account balance daily. Click on the actual check image online to ensure the payee and the amount weren't altered after the fact.
-- Use a secondary checking account: Keep your primary account (where direct deposits land) safe. Write personal checks from a secondary account with limited funds.
-- Leverage online bill pay: Instead of mailing a handwritten check, have your bank mail a computer-generated check. These are harder to forge and are often keep your private account number entirely off the paper
Will paper checks ever go extinct?
While check usage has continued to dwindle, experts say they still have a foothold in the modern economy. Jane Hennessy, a senior expert on payments at Finzly, which provides modern operating systems for banks, noted that billions of checks are still processed annually despite the digital push.
"I certainly don't see [checks] going away any time in my lifetime, despite the push toward that," Hennessy said.
The Federal Reserve views the lingering survival of the check as a matter of deeply ingrained consumer habit. "We all know how they work and what to expect," said Jessica Washington, assistant vice president of the Payments Forum at the Atlanta Fed.
From the archives (June 2025): Social Security will stop sending paper checks soon. How to make sure you still get your benefits on time.
But that comfort level is shifting. Washington notes that late adopters who once resisted online banking and mobile apps are finally getting comfortable with digital payments. As a result, the Fed expects to see an even steeper decline in check volume.
"We have the wheels in motion to see a steeper decline in checks," Washington said. "The higher the value typically means less reliance or use."
Completely eradicating the paper check, however, would be a steep psychological hill to climb. The United Kingdom, for instance, considered doing away with checks entirely in 2009, but ultimately backtracked after pensioners protested to members of Parliament.
For now, the humble paper check remains too deeply woven into the fabric of American life to truly rest in peace - even if writing one means playing a riskier game with swindlers.
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July 09, 2026 12:04 ET (16:04 GMT)
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