Protect Your Business from Check and ACH Fraud.

The most common form of financial fraud that businesses encounter is check fraud. Over 60% of organizations reported that they faced check fraud in 2024, according to the Association for Financial Professionals 2025 survey. With evolving technology and more reliance on electronic payments, ACH (Automated Clearing House) fraud is also on the rise. Learn more about these types of fraud so you can protect your business’s assets.

How do fraudsters commit check fraud?

• Cashing counterfeit checks created to look legitimate.
• Check washing with chemicals to alter the payee or check amount.
• Forging signatures to issue fraudulent payments or endorse and negotiate stolen checks.
• Intercepting stolen checks in transit and cashing them illegally.

How and when checks are issued and mailed can help to mitigate check fraud risk.  Use secure digital means of payment whenever possible, and if payment by check is necessary, be sure to mail the payment from a secure mailbox within your facility or inside your local post office.  Fraudsters often target unsecured business and personal mailboxes and neighborhood USPS “blue boxes”, so be careful where you mail!

What is ACH Fraud?

ACH fraud occurs when fraudsters use ACH to transfer funds to accounts that they control or have access to. They do this by gaining access to their victim’s digital banking accounts through phishing attacks, data breaches, or malware, and conducting ACH transfers from the business to accounts they control.

Look out for computer intrusion.    

Technology is an integral tool to run your business, and fraudsters know this too. Computer intrusion is unauthorized access to a computer or network system, and it can lead to ACH fraud. If successful, this cyberattack can leave your business vulnerable to hacking, spying, and financial loss. Here are some ways you can safeguard against computer intrusion:

• • Prohibit the use of “shared” usernames and passwords.
  • Limit administrative rights on users’ workstations to help prevent the inadvertent downloading of malware or other viruses.
  • Dedicate and limit the number of computers used to complete online banking transactions; do not allow Internet browsing or email exchange on these computers, ensure they are fully up to date with system patching and are equipped with the latest versions and patches of anti-virus, anti-malware, and anti-spyware software.
  • Delete online user IDs as part of the exit procedure when employees leave your company.
  • Review and adjust user entitlements as access needs change and delete any inactive users.
  • Ensure ongoing, frequent review of all account activity to catch any unauthorized access or questionable transactions quickly.

Tools to mitigate your risk of check and ACH fraud.

Running a business is no easy feat and we’re here to help! Check out the fraud prevention services we offer to help protect your business.

• Positive Pay: Prevent unauthorized transactions with Check Positive Pay and ACH Positive Pay. Both include enhanced protection with payee name verification at no additional charge and are integrated with eBusiness Solutions to provide a single login to Positive Pay protection.
  • Check Positive Pay. Compare checks you’ve written with those presented against your account—including those presented at the teller line. You control whether flagged items are paid or returned.
  • ACH Positive Pay. Monitor and review ACH debits and credits and take action on suspicious items to ensure only valid transactions are made.
• ACH Debit Block: Block every incoming ACH debit, without exception, to your money market and savings accounts.
• Account Reconciliation: Simplify and streamline month-end reconciliation with full or partial account reconciliation. Save time, reduce errors, and identify fraudulent items faster.

Want to learn more safety tips for eBusiness Solutions? Click here to read our Best Practices for Preventing Business Fraud brochure.

bankHometown is looking out for your business.

We’re committed to keeping you informed about the latest scams and ways to protect your money and personal information. For more information about valuable tools to help you monitor your account activity, visit our website, stop by your nearest office, or call Customer Care at  888.307.5887.