Read this first. This tool reports public database facts (the Federal Reserve routing directory and the FDIC bank lists). It does not and cannot tell you whether a specific check, money order, or wire is genuine. The only reliable way to verify a specific instrument is to call the issuing bank or money-order company using a phone number you find yourself on their official website — never a number printed on the check or given to you by the person who sent it.
Wires are fast and effectively irreversible. That makes them the scammer's favorite. Verification is about confirming the destination and the instructions independently.
Look up a routing number
Enter the 9-digit routing number printed at the bottom-left of the check. We'll resolve it to the real bank in the Federal Reserve directory and flag failed/nonexistent banks.
Confirm the routing number is a Fedwire participant
Resolve the routing number above — we flag whether it's a Fedwire (wire) participant in the Federal Reserve directory and whether it maps to a real, active bank.
Never wire on emailed instructions
Business-email-compromise scammers send fake "updated wire instructions." Always call the recipient at a number you already had (not one in the email) to confirm the account before sending. Once a wire is sent, it is usually gone.
How fake-check scams work
Real banks make funds available in 1–2 days, but a fake check can take weeks to bounce. By then the scammer is gone — and your bank takes the money back from you.
You're "overpaid" and asked to wire back the difference (overpayment scam).
You're asked to deposit a check and send part via Zelle, gift cards, crypto, or wire — that's the tell.
The check is for a job, prize, rental, mystery-shopper, or online-sale you didn't expect.
There's pressure to act fast before the check "expires".
If any of these match: do not deposit, do not wire anything back, and report it at reportfraud.ftc.gov.