Product Review: Deluxe High Security Checks offer banking security
Proper check fraud prevention is of the utmost importance, especially at a time when instances of data crime are on the rise. A line of checks from Deluxe aims to utilize technology to increase your financial security.
A big part of financial fraud comes from faulty or insecure checks, and companies need to take whatever measures they can to ensure their employees’ payments are kept safe. Deluxe is now offering a brand of High Security Checks with more than 20 features to keep information private by reducing the chance that they can be copied successfully.
Each individual check in this series comes equipped with several simple but high-tech elements. While some of these features can be found in standard checks, several are exclusive to the High Security brand. The check’s face alone contains both a foil hologram that is incapable of being reproduced and a thermally sensitive image designed to detect heat, not to mention a layered background image, which is more difficult to fake than a solid color. There is also a highly secure watermark that’s resistant to such efforts. Even the paper itself contains chemicals on the back that will respond to any tampering attempts.
Even a smaller company could be required to print many physical pay stubs every month, making check scams an even bigger risk for those producing them. It is imperative that employers make the most of their systems by safeguarding them in every way possible. Criminal methods like check-washing are more common than you might think and could happen to anyone who does not have proper check fraud prevention measures in place.
For more information, interested parties can check out Deluxe’s website at www.deluxe.com/highsecurity. They offer other products that could benefit your corporate well-being and provide additional, non-intrusive fraud protection.
John Sileo is a check fraud prevention expert, a keynote speaker on privacy, identity and reputation protection, and a spokesperson for Deluxe. His clients included the Department of Defense, Pfizer, and Homeland Security. See his recent media appearances on 60 Minutes, Anderson Cooper and Fox Business.
Good article, but keep in mind that these checks are worthless for individuals. A bank teller will accept a properly written note regardless if it carries a foil hologram or security features. Bank member service representatives and tellers like to sell these checks to unsuspecting customers, because there are usually incentives (such as commissions or bonuses) when purchased. A malicious person can easily buy generic checks, print information on them (such as the victim’s name, address, routing and account number) in a similar way that banks issue over-the-counter checks.