Cheque fraud
I have recently been informed of a cheque fraud that is most insidious, because it tests the relationships within the home, usually between two or more people that trust each other implicitly. This particular fraud is exceedingly corrosive of family relationships, and the banking industry (one British bank in particular) do not always treat this particular threat seriously.
The facts
A cheque book is sent automatically to the customer (or when requested by the customer). A number of individual cheques are removed from the back of cheque book before it has arrived with the customer. I have seen one of these, and it looks as if the binding on the book is removed, then the cheques, together with the stubs, are removed with a sharp instrument. This is done so well, it can easily be overlooked. In each case, the customer did not think to check the numbers on all the cheques in the book to make sure all of the cheques are present. (Who does? I will now do this every time I receive a cheque book).
In the cases I have been informed about, the manuscript signatures on the cheques are exceedingly similar to the manuscript signature of the customer. The thief only used the forged cheques when the new cheque book became active when the customer used the first cheque.
In one case, the bank is refusing to refund the amounts removed from the customer’s account and the police almost charged one of the family members. In another case, the bank’s mechanism for identifying unusual movements on the account identified the fraudulent cheque.
Analysis
This operation appears to be very sophisticated. It is highly probable that employees of the bank are working with employees of printing companies or the post office. The employee in the printing company or post office intercepts the cheque book, removed the cheques, then ensure it reaches its destination. An employee in the bank then provides the thief with a copy of the customer’s signature, and alerts the thief in possession of the cheques when the cheque book begins to be used, and then attempts are made to removed funds from the account.
Further examples
If you have had an experience of this kind, please get in touch.
