Echeck Processing: 6 Strategies To Fraud-Proof Your Checks

by Kay Fione     When Mr. John A. Sommers, owner of a merchant site, ordered some pizzas for his team of web developers, he issued a check to pay for those items. The amount totaled a meager $30. But to his surprise, he later discovered that the check was fraudulently altered to $300. The perpetrator simply added an additional 0 at the end of the original numbers. As a result, the new fraudulent amount was deducted from Mr. Sommers checking account.     He was a victim of check fraud.     The good news is, you can prevent this fraudulent check scam from happening to you. Aside from having echeck processing service, below are some of the strategies to fraud-proof your checks: <ol><li>DRAW HORIZONTAL LINES TO FILL UP BLANK SPACES After filling up your check, make sure you draw a horizontal line immediately after every digit or figure you write on the check to fill up the empty space. This would make it impossible for fraudsters to make unauthorized additions or alterations to the amount you scribble on the check. </li><li>WRITE IN INK-BASED PENS Do not make the mistake of writing checks using a pencil. Pencil marks can easily be erased and could make it easy for scammers to alter your checks. Experts advise that you always use ink-based pens. </li><li>DO NOT SIGN BLANK CHECKS IN ADVANCE Take a lesson from Jenny S., 26, an business entrepreneur. She affixed her signatures to all checks in her check booklet and carried it around in her purse. She thought she was saving some time by doing so. How wrong she was! One day when she was having dinner at a restaurant and went to the women's comfort room, somebody snatched her check booklet without her knowing it. As expected, her checking account was bleed dry before she discovered the damage. Moral of the story? Do not ever sign blank checks in advance. </li><li>ALWAYS REMEMBER TO WRITE THE DIGITS IN WORDS When you are in a hurry, you tend to scribble the amount in digits and leave behind writing the numbers in words. This gives scammer a great opportunity to take advantage of your lapses. To avoid this, always add the digit description in words. Example, you are writing a check for $200 dollars. You should write clearly the amount in digit. And then you must add the description “ two hundred dollars only” in the appropriate blank field. After the last word, draw a horizontal line. ( See #1). </li><li>USE TECHNOLOGY If you are technology savvy, you can convert your paper checks to the electronic format—known as echecks-- and use these echecks in any establishment with an echeck processing service. You can also pay to online stores using these echecks. It's easy, convenient, and very secure. </li><li>STICK TO ONE PERMANENT SIGNATURE Your signature is very important, especially in writing and signing checks. It is therefore necessary that you stick to one consistent and permanent signature in all your dealings. To help you achieve this, practice signing your signatures several times a day until it becomes your second nature. Don't change or alter your signature on impulse or on a temporary whim. You are doing yourself and your bank a great favor if you use a consistent, permanent signature. Bank personnel can immediately spot any attempt of forgery in case fraudsters use your checks. To those who merchants, the best strategy is to subscribe to echeck processing service. It's fast, secure, and hassle-free. This service effectively protects you from most the scams related with paper checks. (Kay Fione is an electronic banking authority with years of solid experience. She finished her Banking and Finance course as an honor student at the University of Minnesota. She currently works as an executive in an Australian bank. She also serves as a business consultant for several electronic processing companies, including wwww.echeckprocessing.biz. She loves snorkeling and writes business articles on her free time. Kay lives with her husband and four kids.)</li></ol><a href="http://www.onlywire.com/submit?u=http://www.echeckprocessing.biz/echeck_processing_6_strategies_to_fraud_proof_your_checks.html;t=check%20processing;tags=Check%20processing" target="_blank" title="Add this Article to Onlywire"><img src="http://www.onlywire.com/i/onlywire.ico" alt="" />Add to Onlywire!</a>

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