You know, we talk about the thousands of ways you, the small business owner, loses money to thieves constantly. Most of that is centered on shoplifters and boosters stealing your merchandise. We talk about that for good reason… it’s one of the biggest financial impacts to your business if left unchecked. However, there are so many other ways that your business can be targeted by criminals and some of them may appear so legitimate, that you would have no idea you were a victim for weeks. In that time, the criminal is long gone and you’re left paying for that theft out of your pocket. One area of training that is often overlooked in retail is check fraud. I’ll give you some advice on how to identify this in your store and protect yourself from vulnerability.

I’ve worked in big box retail my entire adult life, mostly at a regional Loss Prevention level. The way large businesses protect themselves against phony checks is through a third party company. By using this company, the retailer in fact takes $0 loss on any fraudulent check purchases, since the 3^rd party company gives the retailer, through a quick scan on the POS, a guarantee on the check that it is accepting. That’s great for billion dollar companies that accept thousands upon thousands of checks each and every day. But what about you?

To protect yourself against counterfeit and fraudulent checks, you have to know what to look for. While technology is helping criminals create and print better looking checks, there are several tell-tale signs that you can look for to stop this from happening to you and your business.

1. Micro print| Take a really close look at a check if you happen to have one lying around. Pay close attention to your signature line. I bet you’ve never noticed that the line is in fact, not a line at all. It’s actually fine print. Really fine print. Often it says “micro print” or “security” and it is very difficult for a fraudster to recreate. In fact, if you try to copy the check on even a high end scanner and laser printer, it will not come out perfectly. This is absolutely, hands down one of the easiest ways to spot a fake.
2. Perforation| Pay special attention to perforations on the check if you suspect fraud. The vast majority of personal checks have a perforation at the top, which of course makes it easy for you to remove from your checkbook. Often, a fraudster will copy the checks on laser printers, giving the check a smooth side all around. Business checks will more often than not, have perforations along the left side, so also keep that in mind.
3. Single Checks| If someone is making a rather large purchase and are paying with a check, take note if that individual has just that one single check, and not an entire book. This can be a strong indicator of fraud. I mean, who just carries around one check?
4. Back of Check| Pay attention to the back of any check. Did you know that on the opposite side of the endorsement is a little paragraph explaining the security features of that exact check? Imagine that! Use that to your advantage and look for the features to be prevalent on the check. Most checks also have a watermark on the back of the check that is almost impossible to fake.
5. Out of State checks| You know your customers pretty well. If you are a local store and you have someone attempting to spend a great deal of money on high end product with a check from an out of state bank, pay close attention. I’ve dealt with this plenty of times in my career and the easiest thing to do is contact the financial institution on the check. Very often, you’ll find that the financial institution doesn’t even exist!!
6. Paper Quality| There are two type of phony checks. Ones that are counterfeited from scratch, and those that are actual checks that have been washed in some way. Each one will give you specific clues to the authenticity of the check itself. Washed checks will just look odd. Under the slightest of scrutiny, you should be able to notice that the check has been altered, whether it be an erased line or perhaps you may even still be able to see the original information underneath. Counterfeit checks will usually be printed on paper that’s not of the same quality as a legitimate check. It may feel a little different in your hands, or may be slightly thicker than a normal check.

Now these are just some general guidelines that should help you to identify the majority of check fraud. Since criminals are constantly evolving their tactics, there will never be an “all-inclusive” black and white guide to identifying fraud, following these few steps and using a bit of common sense can help protect your business from falling victim to a forged, counterfeit or otherwise phony check.