Check Fraud
We have to remember that Mobile RDC is still a relatively new type of technology. The technology has made waves in supporting financial institution’s customer acquisition strategies. As new services like mobile RDC are implemented, financial institutions run risk models trying to anticipate product profitability, security risk and fraud losses. RemoteDepositeCapture.com recently reported that the vast majority of financial institutions that have adopted mobile RDC technology in the last few years report few, if any, losses from the use of the technology.
Read MoreSo if you haven’t heard by now, Target, the big red retailer, has a bit of a fraud problem. Somehow, their payment system was hacked and stole a mere 40M credit and debit account numbers with expiration dates and CSV codes…maybe even PIN numbers. Hmmm. How can this be? Per a Krebs article, “Little is known yet about how the data was compromised. “My best guess is [Target] got hit by hackers who got into their network, and were able to push malicious software out to the point of sale systems,” says Krebs, who spoke to American Banker in a recent exclusive interview. “We probably won’t know for certain for weeks or months.”
Read MoreAs we end another year of relatively stable check volumes in the financial industry, there are a number of cost-effective alternatives with excellent and proven return on investment which should be strong considerations for your 2014 budget. Although there is a decline in check volumes, it’s a stable decline, which implies predictability and less risk. Also, as product adoption curves of distributed capture points increase, a financial institution can better plan for significant improvements for each workflow.
Read MoreCheck fraud losses in the US were last benchmarked and estimated at $893M for financial institutions from a 2011 ABA Deposit Account Fraud Survey Report. However, one of the main considerations in overall losses which was not incorporated were retailer losses. No one knows the exact number, but we have spoken to several consultants who estimate it at 10X the losses of banks. This event occurs when a fraudster purchases goods from a retail location with a fraudulent check and then departs with the product/goods. If the bank of first deposit, or paying bank, identify it as fraudulent, many times the retailer loses.
Read MoreA recent post by Fraud Avengers caught our eye related to Cashier’s Checks. It’s interesting that this long time, reliable check source had become a target in many banks for counterfeiters. Fraudulent Cashier’s Checks typically become a deposit fraud loss at the bank of first deposit (BOFD) when the paying bank has strong controls in place for their incoming cashier’s checks. In order to best catch counterfeit Cashier’s Checks, a financial institution should implement strong image analysis and data analytics which can weed out items that have different check stock layouts as well as items with serial numbers out of range.
Read MoreIn the ever-changing landscape of payments fraud, one constant remains: fraudsters will always find a way. Traditional check fraud continues to linger as a loss conduit for financial institutions as well as retailers. The “traditional” activities of counterfeiting, forgeries, alterations and deposit fraud are still prevalent, but a new age of check fraud has already begun.
Read MoreEvery business fears the potential losses associated with accepting counterfeit and forged checks. Although banks lose an estimated 893M per year in check fraud, the untold story of losses at the merchant/business location is more dramatic. Industry consultants have estimated these losses can be as high as $10B per year!
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