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I worry sometimes about fraud and/or unscrupulous people getting a hold of my bank account numbers, with regards to electronic transactions. I've heard it's very easy for imposters to use ACH to get money once they have the numbers.

Obviously I'd like to keep the option to withdraw in person. I wouldn't mind not being able to write checks, if that's relevant.

P.S. Not for the entire bank, just my account.

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  • I have never heard of that ('it's very easy for imposters to use ACH to get money once they have the number'), and I think it is just wrong. Account numbers are easy to guess, as they are just sequential, and if they would do any good, every other account would be plundered every day. Who claimed that?
    – Aganju
    Jul 30, 2016 at 19:56
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    @Aganju I can't remember where I read it but my impression is that if you have the account and routing number, you can withdraw arbitrary amounts from that account (up to the balance, but sometimes over, depending on the bank). This is fine, except sometimes fraudsters have account/routing numbers that are not their own.
    – iPherian
    Jul 30, 2016 at 20:30
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    Absolutely. With your name, routing and account numbers, which they can get off the bottom of any check... they could hit Deluxe's website and have real checks made, custom styled with lighthouses, horses, race cars, or even your own photos off your Facebook. Then they could write checks all over town. Nothing prevents this.
    – Harper - Reinstate Monica
    Jul 30, 2016 at 23:31

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Yes, kinda.

Talk to local banks about a business account, and tell them you want to enable certain employees to make deposits but not withdrawals. They don't need to know you're all the same person.

For instance I have a PayPal account for business. These allow you to create "sub accounts" for your employees with a variety of access privileges. Of course I control the master account, but I also set up a "sub account" for myself. That is the account I use every day.

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Nowadays, all checks you write will not be send to your bank anymore, but instead the bank where they get deposited does an ACH from your bank. That implies that not allowing this to happen, your bank would not be able to honor any checks you wrote (without enforcing paper check delivery in the mail, but the Check21 bill does not allow such enforcing anymore). Basically, your bank would not be able to do business with anyone. The obvious conclusion is that no such bank exists.

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    Ah, so checks are related then. Well, I wouldn't mind not using checks. But I have no wish to change other people's accounts, just my own.
    – iPherian
    Jul 30, 2016 at 20:23
  • Sorry for the misconception - question updated
    – iPherian
    Jul 30, 2016 at 20:36
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    The ACH line knows whether or not it was a check, and if so what check #. This could still be implemented and they'd have to be able to claim a check # that was issued but not used up yet.
    – Joshua
    Apr 21, 2017 at 21:15

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