A keen eye and attention to detail helped Jackie Plagenz, Markesan Branch Manager, stop fraud in its tracks. Let’s just say, it pays to bank with a community banker that knows you. Here’s the story:
Jackie: I was reviewing one of our daily reports and noticed something seemed…off. I decided to investigate further. When I dug deeper, I saw a transaction that seemed out of character for my customer. There was a check being drawn off the account for over $3800 and the details just didn’t add up.
What do you mean?
Jackie: I looked at the check in question. Everything on the check was printed except the signature, which was in cursive. There was also what looked like an account number in the memo line. That seemed unusual.
How did you confirm it was suspicious?
Jackie: I compared the check to others the customer had written. Normally, this customer writes everything in cursive, and the signature looked different. So, I called the customer to verify.
What did the customer say?
Jackie: The customer told me they hadn’t written a check for the amount in question and didn’t know the person it was made out to.
What happened when the customer checked their own records?
Jackie: The check number was in sequence with their other checks, so the customer pulled out their checkbook and register. The original check had been written to a local TV service provider, and the memo line contained the customer’s account number with that service provider. We had solved it: the check had been washed and altered.
How did you resolve the situation?
Jackie: We returned the check as Altered/Fictitious, so the customer had no loss. Then we closed the compromised account and opened a new one.
That was a close call! How did the customer react?
Jackie: The customer was very thankful we caught it before any money could be stolen. Later, the customer’s daughter emailed me to thank us as well. The customer said they were glad Horicon Bank was their bank.
What is your best advice to help customers spot fraud before it occurs?
Jackie: I encourage our customers to use the tools Horicon Bank provides, such as Digital Banking to review their accounts, lock their debit cards, set up alerts on their accounts and monitor their credit scores. These tools are all available right in our app or online, they can be fraud fighters too!