Fraud Prevention Services
A suite of valuable fraud protection tools designed to reduce your risk of loss due to the payment of unauthorized checks and/or electronic debits. As a business or organization, you only have 24 hours after the check or ACH clears your account to return the item as fraudulent. The alerting system (email or text) provides you with timely notifications to protect you against loss.
Check Positive Pay
Reduce the risk of check fraud with Check Positive Pay, one of the most effective check fraud prevention services available. Check Positive Pay provides more control over payments clearing your business accounts and allows you to make well informed decisions about suspicious check activity.
With this service, checks presented to the bank for payment are compared to the issued check files you upload to the bank’s system. If a discrepancy is detected designated users will have the ability to review the check and indicate if it should be paid or returned. An email notification can be sent to alert users of items needing review.
Payee Check Positive Pay
Payee Check Positive Pay takes protection to the next level. In addition to the standard verification of dollar amount, date issued and check number, the bank can verify the payee information against the name provided in the upload file.
Positive Pay services provide protection against altered or fraudulent checks and can help automate your account reconciliation process.
ACH Positive Pay
Another important consideration for your fraud mitigation plan should be ACH Positive Pay. This service allows control over electronic activity posting to business accounts. Similar to Check Positive Pay, unauthorized ACH transactions are flagged and you are alerted to review them through Business Online Banking.
ACH Positive Pay allows for the review of any ACH debits posting to your business accounts, which may be approved for a one-time or recurring payment. Dollar limitations may also be established. Any item which meets pre-authorized criteria will automatically post without review.
ACH Debit Blocker
ACH Debit Blocker service will automatically reject all ACH debit transactions prior to posting to your business account. Best utilized for accounts with no authorized electronic debit authority. No review capability.
To enroll in Positive Pay, or to learn more about our fraud protection services, please contact the Treasury Management team at 563.468.5602, or email treasurymanagement@qcbt.com.
Note: Information provided through email is transmitted over an unsecured connection. Do not send account numbers, service requests, or other private information.
Fraud Prevention Recommendations
Business Online Banking provides several controls and tools to help protect you against unauthorized transactions. We recommend that you use these controls along with your company’s own tools and resources to mitigate the risk of fraud.
- Verify all electronic requests to move money through a phone call to a validated number.
- Disable the end user's administrative rights to their computers to minimize introduction of viruses, malware, etc.
- Keep virus protection and operating systems up-to-date.
- Never open attachments or respond to an email from an unknown source.
- Limit internet browsing on the PC(s) used to access Business Online Banking.
- Never log in to Business Online Banking at a public or unsecured computer.
- Educate employees on the risks of online banking.
- Work with your internal partners (e.g., IT, Audit) on other ways to mitigate risks.
- Use a computer that is dedicated to Business Online Banking with limited internet browsing and email access.
- Reconcile account transactions daily.
- Require dual controls for Wire and ACH transaction approval.
- Require users to confirm last sign on date on the Business Online Banking "Welcome" page.
- Do not use account numbers when setting up nicknames for accounts.
- View your alerts and notify the Bank if you do not recognize the activity.
- Segregate duties from those that issue checks, submit checks into Positive Pay, and decision exceptions.
- Monitor and reconcile accounts daily.
- Manage check stock orders and storage.
- Limit user access to payment creation and approval functionality.
- Segregate duties between payment creation and approval.
- Require secondary approval of payments on separate computer.
- Establish transaction limits for each user.
- Contact us to set up daily amount/user limits for transactions.
- Review your Wire and ACH history daily.
- Verify all requests received in electronic form via telephone.
- Store processed checks in a secure, locked location requiring dual control for 30 days.
- Securely destroy/shred checks after the required 30 day retention period.
- Frank or mark checks as deposited after scanning.
- Establish internal controls to prevent double presentment.
- Require dual controls with segregation of duties.
- Have a contingency plan for depositing items at a bank location should the system be unavailable for any reason.
- Endorse all checks either through virtual endorsement or manually.
If you experience difficulty logging in, suspect unusual activity, or encounter any other issues, immediately contact the Quad City Bank Treasury Management team at treasurymanagement@qcbt.com or 563.468.5602.