How to Prevent Check Fraud (Part 2): Think Like a Criminal

Our check fraud experts Joni van Gelder and Keith Zub recently hosted a webinar on, “The Five Most Important Ways to Protect Your Business Against Check Fraud.” Since then, we’ve gotten great feedback, so we wanted to make our tips available in bite-sized portions you can digest at your leisure.

That’s why we’ve put together this five-part series—each post highlights a different tactic to fight check fraud and protect your business. Click the video to watch our second tip: think like a criminal, or read the transcript below.

Don't forget to check out part one, part three, part four and part five. Contact Relyco with any questions.

How to Prevent Check Fraud (Part 2): Think Like a Criminal

Understanding the methods used to alter checks means you are one step ahead of criminals. If you know the methods, you can select checks with security features that will help prevent it.

Transcript:

Joni: So really what we try to do is we try to just think like a criminal. I guess the best way to put it is, “if you can’t beat ‘em, think like them.”

So, what we’ve found over the years is that people that are trying to perpetuate fraud are typically ones that are going to take the path of least resistance.

They’re going to look for a check that has a few, or no, security features—something that they an easily alter.

And we feel that, in terms of the check paper, multiple security features are always your best defense because, if something has 11 security features, or nine, or 14, somebody who wants to alter that check is going to look at that check and go, “nah, I’ll take the next one, the one that’s easier.”

Keith: "I'll take the next one that's easier."

Joni: Exactly. Exactly.

Keith: And what was that movie we were talking about yesterday. Catch Me If You Can?

Joni: Yes, yes. Frank Abagnale.

Keith: And that was, if I remember it’s been a long time. I think it was 2002 we said yesterday, cause we Googled it. And anyway, before he was 19 years old, he had frauded over 2.8 million dollars. By the time he was 19! All checks! One person!

Joni: Yep! Plus he flew people around the country!

Keith: And he was a doctor too!

Joni: Yes!

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