PRESS RELEASE – Crime prevention means being aware of your environment and remaining alert to situations that could make you vulnerable to crime. We cannot list specific measures that will protect you from every threatening situation, which may arise.
Instead, we hope to teach you how to think “Crime Prevention” in day-to-day living
TIPS TO AVOID CHEQUE FRAUD
Sometimes criminals will create fraudulent cheques or change the name or amount of a legitimate cheque. This is known as Cheque fraud. Though a Cheque is a useful instrument for banking, if it falls into the wrong hands, it could cause you inconvenience and loss.
There are a number of simple steps that you can take to protect yourself from cheque fraud.
- Keep your cheque in a secure location.
- Review your monthly bank statement or regularly check your transactions through online or telephone banking. Keep your contact details registered with the Bank regularly updated. If you see transactions you didn’t do or get alerts about unusual activity, notify your bank immediately and they will investigate.
- You should never sign a cheque leaf until you are about to hand it over to the person who is being paid.
- If you have to mail a cheque out or have it sent out, make sure that you cross the cheque or make it an account payee only cheque by drawing two lines at the top left corner of the check and writing ‘Account Payee’.
- If you cancel a cheque, you should dispose it off properly after crossing out the cheque number and MICR code.
- If you close your account, destroy any unused cheque.
- Consider using electronic payments such as online payments, wire transfers or direct deposit of payments.
- If you receive a cheque that doesn’t look legitimate, ask for a different form of payment.
- When you receive a cheque always ask for identification and verify that the identification document received is legitimate.
- Record all information on the identification document provided and take a picture of the said document.
- Ask for more than one identification document and if possible have another individual take description of person issuing the cheque and have surveillance cameras installed at business place.
- If you believe that you have lost a cheque, you should inform your bank as soon as possible. They could stop payment on the lost cheque by tracking down the cheque number.
“Do have a great and safe weekend”
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