Enhancing School Security and Efficiency With Specialized Business Checks and Carbonless Forms

Schools must manage their funds appropriately to avoid financial issues. Ineffective planning also affects integrity and stakeholder trust and can potentially result in legal consequences. To avoid these problems, school financial management systems must find ways to prevent or reduce fraudulent transactions and optimize administrative operations.

Using secure school checks and reducing repetitive tasks are big factors. This article discusses how to do both.

Common Fraudulent Transactions Faced by School Administrations

Checks are highly susceptible to fraud, especially without robust security features. According to the Association for Financial Professionals (AFP), 63% of organizations experienced attempted or actual check fraud in 2024.

Despite the risks, the same report states that 91% of organizations use checks, and 75% plan to continue doing so. Schools, for instance, often use checks for tuition and vendor payments.

To manage the risks and gain some peace of mind, learning the common fraudulent transactions and how you can avoid them helps:

Check fraud: The most obvious check-related fraud is check fraud, where scammers forge or steal checks to make unauthorized transactions. Stolen checks are usually altered through “check washing.” Scammers erase the ink used in a legitimate check and rewrite the amount and recipient information.
Mail and wire fraud: Mail fraud scams involve sending and receiving physical checks through the mail. In comparison, wire fraud uses electronic devices to commit the transaction. For instance, malicious vendors might manipulate administrators to wire payments for services that don't exist or that they didn’t ask for.
Embezzlement: Embezzlement involves diverting funds for personal use through unauthorized transactions. In this case, a school administrator might create a fictitious vendor and then approve related payments, only to have them funneled into their personal account.
Payroll fraud: Payroll fraud occurs when individuals create “ghost employees,” which are fictitious staff members added to the payroll system, or manipulate timekeeping records to inflate the hours worked, resulting in unauthorized and extra payments.
Phishing scam: Phishing scams intercept fund transfers or invade an individual's accounts through deceptive emails, websites or messages that mimic legitimate institutions. This online scam, often conducted through email, tricks users into sharing sensitive information such as usernames, passwords and financial details.

Auditing practices and distributed responsibilities can help prevent these fraudulent transactions. While some fraudulent activities happen online, highly secured business checks can also improve your school's financial security. For instance, a check that stains once a perpetrator tries to remove the ink can prevent embezzlement. Endorsement warnings on a check will also alert the recipient to verify the check before processing.

High Security Business Check Features to Consider

Modern copier technology can easily reproduce checks, a common tactic for malicious actors. However, one of the benefits of using secure business checks for schools is that they're hard to copy or manipulate.

RELYCO security checks come with up to 21 security features to help you avoid fraudulent transactions. Some features include:

Microprinting: Microprinting involves printing small words that appear as a line to the naked eye. It's very difficult for copiers to replicate text on such a small level.
Simulated watermark: A simulated watermark consists of white ink, which can't be copied or scanned. You can only see the mark from a certain angle.
Padlock security: This icon informs the teller that the check has security features, which are detailed on the back.
Anti-splice backer: These horizontal or diagonal lines at the back of the check vary in thickness and words. Their orientation and size make it difficult to cut and paste information.
Copy-void endorsement: The word “void” appears on the copy when the endorsement is photocopied.
Covert fluorescent fibers: These invisible fibers glow under an ultraviolet light.
Solvent-reactive color spotting: This feature produces a stain during check washing, making the check unusable.
Gradient two-color background: This multi-color background makes it difficult to alter the check.
Coin-reactive mark: When scratched with a coin, the check changes color due to the invisible layer, which ensures document authenticity.
UV security ink: This UV invisible fluorescent ink is only detected by ultraviolet light. It can't be reproduced on scanners and copiers.

How School Carbonless Forms Optimize Your Administrative Tasks

Apart from fraud, ineffective operations also eat up a school's bottom line. School carbonless forms, also known as no carbon required forms, can optimize your processes, saving you time and money.

These forms feature a special coating on the top and bottom. When you write on them, the pen's pressure breaks through the coating, transferring what you wrote underneath.

Carbonless forms can be used for many purposes, like purchase orders, invoices and contracts.

Create copies instantly: While effective for providing a paper trail, carbonless forms also reduce the time needed for copying, rewriting or reprinting documents. Having immediate copies ready also prevents tampering.
Reduce time spent on administrative tasks: Instead of repetitive processes, you and your staff can focus on other decision-making tasks.
Maintain accurate copies of information: Because individuals only have to write down information once, you can keep records accurate.
Keep documents organized: Carbonless papers come in varying colors, such as white, yellow, pink and blue. These colors indicate different copies, making them easier to identify.

Types of Carbonless Forms

Carbonless form solutions for school administrative tasks vary. Carbonless forms can create anywhere from two to five copies, including the original documents. Here's how the coating works on any carbonless form:

Coated back: The top sheet of the set is coated on the back.
Coated front: The bottom sheet of the set is coated on the front.
Coated front and back: All sheets in between the top and bottom sheets are coated on both sides.

Help Protect Your Institution's Finances With RELYCO

RELYCO is a specialized printer paper company that offers customized solutions based on your organization's goals. We understand the security risks that come with handling checks and how important it is to optimize your school's processes. Paperwork can be tedious — and easy to tamper with. We've spent over 35 years in the industry, offering secure solutions for various industries, including education and municipalities.

You can choose from our high-security business checks, which offer up to 21 security features while remaining compliant with relevant standards. Browse our REIMAGE carbonless printing paper to optimize your administrative tasks. Contact us today to learn more about how we can support your team.