Steps to Follow When Accepting Checks and …

1 Steps to Follow when Accepting Checks and Traveler s 'SPREMIERCHECKFRAUDSPECIALISTS(800) 755-2265 Fax: (800) To You ByFrank W. Abagnale and Associates(800) 237-7443 Fax: (918) Fraud TipsAmerican Express frontTurn check over. Moisten fingertip andrun it over the left denomination. If itsmears, it is good. Right side format: when held above eye level, adove will appear on the left in the white format: when held above eye level, aglobe of the world appears on the front leftand a dove in flight on the prior formats are still held above eye level, a Greek god'sface will appear on the and Thomas CookWhen held above eye level, on the rightside of the check in a circle, a Greekgoddess will American Express frontWhen held above eye level, a centurionwill appear in the white area on the date April, 1997. All prior formatsare still Express backNew American Express format hasdifferent printing but the left denominationstill : Above examples not true in color.

2 Color has been lightened to show security features. Format design may vary from check to , developed and annually updated by Frank W. Abagnale wince s check driver slicense impressed with thecheck not the personDon t let a customer s appearance lull you into ignoringany of these Steps . Frank Abagnale, the retired masterforger, once cashed a $50 check written on a cocktailnapkin, before a hidden camera for television, becausethe bank teller was more impressed by his appearancethan the item he presented. when you are in a hurry, orwant to make an exception, think how you will defendyour decision if the check is returned. Then, only thecheck will matter not the circumstances in which youtook you have the license out of the customer s walletand in your hand, quickly ask yourself the followingquestions: Is the person in the photo and in front of youthe same person? Are the addresses on the check andlicense the same?

3 when does the license expire? Morethan 60% of the forged Checks last year were cashed withan expired driver s license. Also, the courts have ruledthat licenses are legally worthless for identification assoon as they expire. Be sure you examine the driver slicense all informationon front of s checkidentificationDriver s license s initialsOther ID or managerapprovalCredit card when held above eye level, a dove appears onthe left side in the white area. Old Format when heldabove eye level, a globe of the world appears on thefront left and a dove in the upper right. MASTERCARDand THOMAS COOK when held above eye level, onthe right side of the check in a circle, a Greek goddesswill appear. CITICORP when held above eye level, aGreek god s face will appear on the right. AMERICANEXPRESS Turn check over. Moisten your finger tip andrun it over the left denomination. If it smears it is side will not decribed in Regulation CC, either write theinformation consecutively across the top of the front oruse the cross method.

4 *(By law, some states do not allow all of this informationto be recorded on the customer s check .) cautious of newchecking negotiableinstrument codesOf all the insufficient, hot Checks , 90% are drawn onaccounts less than a year old. The consecutive numbersin the right hand corner begin with 101 and you shouldbe especially careful when taking low numbered knowing the age of the account is important,some banks now print a date code of when the accountwas opened (for example, 0278 mean February 1978) onall drafts issued by savings and loan institutions andmutual savings banks, magnetic bank routing numbersmay start with the digit 2 or 3. Credit union drafts arehonored by the bank on which they are traveler s Checks have routing numbersstarting with 8000. Government Checks contain therouting number 000000518.