Barry Thompson

Bio:

Barry Thompson is an international speaker, trainer, consultant, and writer. He is one of the original security “guru’s” for a Bankersonline and regularly presents security conferences for trade groups – he has trained over 51,000 financial professionals.

Barry is recognized worldwide, presenting in Brussels, Belgium to European bankers on internal fraud; at the United Nations on identity theft; and to Japanese bankers on bank security. Barry has worked in the financial services industry for over four decades, and has held the positions of security officer, compliance officer, treasurer, senior vice president, and executive vice president. He has handled over 900 security cases and has been involved with investigations and prosecutions at the federal, state, and local levels. Barry is the author of 101 Security Tips for the Beginning Security Officer and has been interviewed by Newsweek, Computer World, USA Today, and other national publications.

See all Upcoming and On-Demand training presented by Barry.

Areas of Expertise:

Compliance Consulting

Security Consulting

Security Training

Contact info:

You can contact Barry by telephone at (315) 342-5931 or by email Tgroup@twcny.rr.com. His Web site is http://www.tgrouponline.com

Questions Answered

Value of Security

01/26/2025

Traditionally, security is a cost center. Has anyone ever measured the actual value of security Maybe it is not as big a cost center; maybe there is added value. I know I have always mentioned things like the dollar amount of counterfeit checks seized in the annual report, but I wondered if someone had some type of ROI calculation?

Elder Fraud Training

01/19/2025

We have an annual staff meeting where each dept head does a quick overview of trends and what is happening in the industry. We only get around 5 minutes to present. I would like to discuss Elder Fraud, since it has been in the forefront for a while now. Do you happen to have some bullet points that will be impactful in a short presentation. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

When to Pull the Alarm

01/12/2025

I wanted to get an opinion on the use of panic buttons in the bank, especially at the teller stations. I am weighing the risk of pushing it and being seen by the burglar in order to get authorities on site sooner (maybe). We are a smaller, rural bank with 5 locations. One location has a city PD, while the others rely on the county.  

Legal Request for Exterior Footage

12/22/2024

I had a phone request from a law firm to release a portion of video camera footage showing vehicles driving by the branch during a specific date and time. The only footage that meets the parameters is from an inside camera that points to the front door that has the street in the background. It would be up to them to determine if the vehicle in question actually drove by the branch during that time period. What information would we require to release this footage, or would we not release it as it shows customer traffic inside the branch? What are your thoughts/suggestions?

Exterior Door Locks

12/22/2024

Would you mind giving your opinion on proximity card/fob access control on exterior doors for a financial institution? We have recently completed a new build and installed a keyless entry system on crash bar type doors. There is a key bypass option and, in the event of a power failure, the locks default to locked, requiring the key. Our president is of the opinion that these locks are not secure enough and is leaning toward adding traditional deadbolt locks. Of course, we have door contact alarms and cameras as added security measures. The security department and our security vendor are of the opinion that these locks are as secure as other types. The ability to immediately disable or add users, eliminating the cost of locksmiths, the creation of entrance logs, are among other benefits.

Motion Activated Lights

12/15/2024

When it comes to interior lighting, what are your thoughts on motion-activated lighting versus 24/7 lights?

Securing Cash During a Fire Alarm

12/15/2024

We are rewriting our emergency procedures and having a problem with fire procedures. Presently our procedures state to secure the teller cash drawers in our vault, lock our vault door, and exit the building. The problem is our vault is in the basement! When the fire alarm sounds, the teller staff must carry the teller cash boxes to the basement to be secured before the vault attendant can lock the vault. What are your thoughts on this subject?

Personal Video Recordings in Branches

12/08/2024

I have a question about cameras and recording because it has come up a few times now that everyone has smartphones, and I would like to know what you suggest. We had a situation where one of the tellers thought that a member was recording them. After reviewing our internal video, we didn’t see this happening but it is very possible that they could have. What do you suggest that we do to prevent this happening in the future?

Drive Through Curtains

12/08/2024

Do you know if there is a requirement to have the curtain up or down in the drive-through after hours? If no requirement, do you know what the industry standard is?

Passing Bait

12/01/2024

I recently attended a training session where the security officer stated in the context of “do what the robber asks”, if they tell you “no bait," don’t give them bait. While not mentioned in the training, I’d imagine the same rule holds true for this security officer regarding GPS devices. My question is, why not give it to them anyway? Especially bait. How is the robber to know?