Fraud Awareness Month

Preventing Check Fraud

Check fraud remains one of the top scams that affect both individuals and businesses. Fraudsters are intercepting checks from mailboxes or the USPS’s blue drop boxes. Once they have your check, they use chemicals to remove the ink on all lines except the signature line (“washing” the check). This allows them to change the amount or make themselves the payee. Then, they deposit or cash your check and steal your money. Due to the short window for recovering lost funds, it’s crucial to be proactive in protecting your accounts.

Preventing Check Fraud

Here are a few steps you can take to minimize your risk of becoming a victim of check fraud:

Use online and mobile banking to monitor your accounts daily/regularly: Don’t wait for your monthly statement. This allows you to catch any suspicious activity early and take immediate action.
Use text and email alerts in online and mobile banking to notify you of unusual account activity.
Identify any checks “outstanding” and contact the payee to ensure they received your check (place a stop payment with the bank and reissue if needed).
Review your paid check images and ensure the checks were not altered (including the back of the check where it’s endorsed).
Don’t let delivered mail sit in your mailbox. Pick it up right away. Arrange for the USPS to hold mail if you’re out of town.
Sign Up for Our Tools and Services: We offer additional services to help you detect and prevent check fraud, including:

Bill Pay through Personal and Business Online Banking

Bill Pay service is available through Personal and Business online and mobile banking and provides a secure alternative to traditional check writing.

Make payments electronically, reducing the need to send checks through the mail where they can be intercepted.
Schedule one-time or recurring payments, helping you avoid late payments and keeping all of your transactions in one secure location for easy monitoring.
Learn how to sign-up for Bill Pay

Positive Pay with Business Online Banking

Positive Pay is an effective tool that businesses can utilize to prevent check fraud. It works by:

Matching the checks you issue against the details provided to the bank (check number, payee, and amount).
Flagging any checks that don’t match, allowing you to review and decide whether to pay or reject them.
Positive Pay ensures that only authorized checks clear your account, offering an additional layer of protection against fraud. You can also set up ACH Positive Pay to monitor and pre-authorize ACH transactions.
Learn more about Positive Pay Services