| div align="center"> | | | | people are responsible for payment and reconciliation. |
| Fraud â itâs out of control. Each year, | | | | 3. Use secure output-management systems to provide |
| U.S. companies lose more than $600 billion to fraud, | | | | controls and audits to help prevent item theft or |
| with counterfeiting and document fraud making up | | | | unauthorized use. The system should record every |
| more than two-thirds of that, according to the | | | | item issued and identify the authorizing individual at |
| worldâs largest fraud prevention. organization, | | | | issuance. Ideally, information from the issued |
| the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. | | | | documents should be forwarded to downstream |
| Business documents, financial documents, birth | | | | authentication systems. |
| certificates, identification cards, licenses, motor vehicle | | | | 4. Use authentication devices. Positive Pay and |
| titles, prescriptions, college transcripts, tickets and | | | | image-comparison services, as well as bar codes and |
| passes for events â any document of value is | | | | data encryption solutions, help ensure that the |
| at risk. With law enforcement focused on violent crime | | | | information matches up. Identity security or biometric |
| and homeland security, however, there are limited | | | | solutions such as fingerprint, retina, iris and face |
| government resources to address the problem of | | | | recognition, take secure documents to the next level. |
| fraud prevention. The challenge of reducing fraud and | | | | 5. Establish limits & reconciliation systems. Establish |
| its associated losses falls primarily on the organization | | | | limits on check amounts being disbursed; require special |
| that owns the documents. | | | | approval for higher amounts. Compare purchase |
| If youâve followed the advice of experts, | | | | orders to packing slips, and inventories to |
| youâve integrated multiple security features | | | | disbursements of printed statements. Secure stock for |
| into vital documents and standardized their design to | | | | checks and other vital documents. Reconcile all |
| make them readily recognizable to those who use and | | | | transfers. |
| accept them. However, itâs important to | | | | 6. Know your people. Review permanent and |
| recognize that the physical features of your | | | | temporary hiring procedures to help assure |
| documents are only half of an effective fraud | | | | youâre attracting reliable people you can trust |
| defense. Itâs critical that you also establish | | | | to manage your vital business documents. Background |
| secure document management for controlling | | | | checks are an important part of this process. Then |
| document issuance and handling. | | | | provide your staff with proper credentials that enable |
| Consider these steps for more secure document | | | | you to validate who they say they are. |
| management: | | | | 7. Finally, choose reliable and well-known document |
| 1. Securely store and audit important documents. | | | | management services. Thoroughly evaluate potential |
| Protect your documents from theft by securing stock | | | | vendors. Determine: Do they have secure facilities? |
| in locked rooms at all times, and by recording and | | | | Are their operators trained to follow security |
| auditing document control numbers. Limit access to | | | | protocols? Do they have controls in place to prevent |
| materials at all stages: production, shipping, receiving, | | | | fraudulent orders? Do they have the expertise to |
| storage and use. Monitor your document production | | | | anticipate new forms of attack and develop new |
| facility and audit regularly. Be sure incoming shipments | | | | defenses? Do they understand the needs of your |
| of checks, prescription pads or other valuable | | | | organization and the possible ways your documents |
| documents are not identified on the shipping labels or | | | | might be compromised? |
| containers. | | | | Fraud is an ongoing challenge to meet, but if you follow |
| 2. Separate financial responsibilities. In matters of | | | | these seven steps, you will be well on the way to |
| money, make sure at least two separate groups of | | | | thorough fraud prevention. |