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Article
April LEAPS Shocks Licensees
Could YOU Be a Victim?
Officers Robert Steffen and T.D. Griffin of HPD�s Forgery Division had the Houston LEAPS participants furiously taking notes at the April meeting. They opened their talk with the news that a local company had been put out of business recently due to the forgery and embezzlement of their office manager.
During the rest of their presentation they gave a number of tips and hints that LEAPS companies will want to act on to help to protect their businesses from forgery and embezzlement. For example, they suggested that companies have a double check system� one for payroll and one for the general account, and that they always keep their checks locked up. They mentioned that many banks now have a 30 day limit on embezzlement, so the problem has to be caught immediately. Proof is a big problem with check fraud and forgery. Banks can also take up to thirty days to refund money fraudulently removed from an account. This alone could put a small company out of business. The officers advised that in all cases, we should find out our bank�s policies on fraud, forgery and embezzlement. They also suggested that we keep copies of the print cards we send to the state on all employees. LEAPS President Ev Burke interjected that the copies will also show you if your cards are good enough to be read; her company�s policy of copying the cards has resulted in a much lower incidence of kick backs on cards submitted to TCPS.
Many problems occur with �less cash� deposits. Someone could put a forged check with a company�s deposit slip, say for $8,000, and ask for $500 cash back. This could quickly drain an account if the false deposits were put in at different branch banks.
Officer Steffen suggested we not use the type of cards that allow for automatic withdrawals without the use of a pin number. He also suggested that we investigate to see if our bank offers the new �positive pay� system in which the company sends the numbers and amounts of paychecks being issued. Under this system, a check that has had the amount changed would be spotted immediately. He also suggested that when we re-order checks and deposit slips that we have them mailed to the bank and pick them up there to avoid lost checks.
The officers offered some interesting tips on spotting a fake TDL or Texas ID card. The cards will glow under an ultraviolet light, but most of us don�t keep that type of light in our offices. Most of us DO have a magnifying glass, however. Look at the flag and state seal on your driver�s license. Each is surrounded by words that are too difficult for the forgers to reproduce. Can you read the words around the flag and seal on your license?
Houston ASSIST members are reminded that our LEAPS programs are not only valuable learning experiences but are also qualified for CE for TCPS. The meetings are free and are held every other month. If you are not currently receiving email reminders of the meetings, call Ann Ball at 713-526-7171 to ask to receive these reminders.
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