Pentel® EnerGel™ PRO Permanent Gel Pens, Medium Point, 0.7 mm, Black/Blue/Red, Pack Of 3

Check washing has been an issue for as long as there have been checks. Postage stamp washing is pretty common too. There are various commonly available liquids (I won't identify any here) which are used by these criminals. Even everyday laundry detergents have been used with some success. The ink in an ordinary ballpoint pen is very easily washed off, and that's what most unsuspecting people write with. Thieves steal checks which have already been written, and then wash them, either entirely or sometimes they just wash the payee portion. If they change the dollar amount, most people will discover the fraud fairly soon. . . but if they only change the payee, leaving the dollar amount the same as you originally wrote, it may take you longer to notice. Of course, it doesn't help that most banks these days don't return your used checks to you anymore. But the flip side to that is: a nice fat packet of cancelled checks would be a juicy target for a mail thief too. Whenever you write a check, DON'T use a ballpoint pen. Ballpoint pens write on the surface, without penetrating deeply into the fibers of the paper. That makes the check very vulnerable to easy washing. Liquid inks that soak into the paper are FAR more resistant to check washing, and there are actually some which have been specifically formulated to prevent fraud. One that specifically comes to mind is the Pentel EnerGel PRO Permanent Gel Pen. This excellent pen is an absolute pleasure to write with, and is highly resistant to check washing fraud. . . in fact it is marketed as "fraud-proof". Even the regular Pentel EnerGel gel pens are more resistant to check washing than a ballpoint pen, but the Pentel EnerGel PRO Permanent Gel Pen is the REAL deal. An added bonus is that if you're anything like me, you'll notice your writing style will become much more expressive and beautiful with this pen. I can only describe it as painting your words onto the paper.