Q: The monthly mortgage statement I get from my bank always reminds me to put my loan account number on my check when I mail it in with my payment coupon. Doing so really makes me nervous, considering all the stories I’ve heard about identity theft in the past couple of years. What should I do?

A: I don’t blame you for being worried about ID theft.

I called four different lenders to discuss your concerns. All four agreed that you’re under no legal obligation to write your loan number on your checks, but added that including the number would help to prevent problems if you forgot to include your payment coupon in the envelope or if the check somehow got separated from the coupon once the pair reached the bank’s processing center.

Again, your concerns about identity theft certainly are valid. But believe it or not, it actually would be safer to pay your mortgage online instead of writing an actual check.

Why? Though Internet scams have received a lot of publicity, studies show that about two-thirds of ID-theft cases begin when a thief simply rummages through mailboxes or trash cans in search of a consumer’s canceled checks, old loan statements or other paperwork that includes personal financial data.

– David W. Myers is a 20-year veteran of the newspaper and magazine business, having previously covered real estate for the Los Angeles Times and Investor’s Business Daily.