Modernizing Omnichannel Check Fraud Detection

The “Check Clearing for the 21st Century Act,” also known as “Check 21” or “Check 21 Act,” launched on Oct. 28, 2004. Many are unaware that the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001—which grounded planes and caused major delays in check processing (preventing the transport of canceled checks to Federal Reserve banks)—was actually the event that spurred passage of Check 21.

While we mainly explore fraud and counterfeit scams from the payment side of things, it should be noted that the popularity of online shopping — particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic — has created a new breed of fraudster that creates and sells fake products. Meanwhile, Amazon is not immune from fraudsters, as reported in WIRED Magazine:

Motley Fool’s The Ascent recently took look at FTC statistics in order to get a handle on mounting COVID-19 fraud losses losses to persons and businesses. COVID-19 fraud is defined in this case as any type of scam, fraud, or identity theft related to the novel coronavirus. Key findings from the report include: As of August 10, 2020, Americans have reported over 160,000 cases of fraud and losses of over $106 million.

A story from the New York Post features Case William Kelley, 42, who utilized a home printer to create a fraudulent check to successfully purchase a Porsche from an Oklahoma Dealer. This may sound like fake news…

Nigerian “419 scammer” goes big time “Hushpuppi” portrayed himself as successful and wealthy to recruit and fool victims It was a small error that eventually snared him By now, the phrase “Nigerian email scammer” has become a cliche to the extent that one wonders if they actually exist in the literal sense — a person…

An article by Antoinette Burnside, assistant vice president and product manager for Kennewick-based Community First Bank and HFG Trust, appeared in the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business, describing how pervasive check fraud is feeding financial fraud in general.

Among the myriad fraud schemes emerging during the COVID-19 crisis are “money mule schemes.” A money mule is “a person who transfers illegally acquired money on behalf of or at the direction of another.” These are scams that, frankly, take advantage of the desperation some persons and businesses feel due to to COVID-19 economic impacts. In this climate, actors are able to fairly easily deceive otherwise savvy victims by impersonating federal government agencies, international organizations, or charities.

Pymnts.com looks at the startling emerging story of a Germany payments company called Wirecard, where as much as $2.1 billion may be unaccounted for.

The story notes that “even the largest companies with the most resources to digitize and combat fraud are not immune to the risk — from both within and outside of, the organization.”

As noted many times both here and in the general media, check fraud persistent and pervasive — and now compounded by fraudsters constructing corona virus-related scams.

Financial institutions should be on high alert for scams and fraud schemes that target the institution itself and/or its customers. It is equally important for financial institutions to evaluate their current check fraud processes and technologies and identify any possible gaps.