05/20/2002
A customer has told us that she contacted a toll free number for Bargain Network. Apparently they sold guides for buying used autos. She was interested in getting a subscription. Bargain Network asked her for a credit card number but she did not have a credit card. Then they asked for the name of her bank, which she supplied but she would not give them the account number. She said that they were able to provide the account number once she told them the name of the Bank. Our bank does not give out this information nor do we share information with any third parties for them to be able to sell stuff. How do we go about investigating this incident? The customer was concerned that her account would be debited for more than the subscription price. We advised her to cancel the subscription but we would like to find out how Bargain Network got the info without our authorization or knowledge and how we can report them to the proper authorities.
04/01/2002
By Barbara E. Hurst, Editor
03/11/2002
With the changing world of banking due to the infusion of information technology, what do you see as the role of the bank's security officer and the challenges ahead?
02/04/2002
I am the Security Manager and our branch office, located in a small rural town, has been robbed three times in the past nine months. In the first robbery, the robber wore a disguise and a gun was displayed. In the second robbery, no weapon was displayed AND the robber became nervous and just grabbed money from a customer and fled. In the third robbery, the robber wore a disguise, a knife was displayed and the robber went behind the teller line. There were at least a dozen customers in the branch at the time of the robbery. In all three robberies, the staff followed banking procedures, and there were no injuries.Senior management and branch personnel want to hire an unarmed security guard for 3 to 6 months. I expressed my concerns that a security guard may provide the staff with a false sense of security, escalate the situation toward more violence rather than controlling or deterring the situation, and present many liability issues.I have recommended the below listed action steps to deter a future robbery:<ol><li>Install additional cameras (2 exeterior and 1 at the rear entrance) and a monitor at the rear entrance. Approved by senior management.</li><li>Repair the locks on the doors leading behing the teller line. (The Branch never informed Maintenance the locks were broken.) Approved by senior management.</li><li>Consider renovating the interior of the branch to allow branch personnel to view customers entering via the rear entrance. (Currently, when indivdiuals enter the rear door, they must walk down a hallway before they can be seen by branch employees. All three robbers entered via the rear entrance.) Senior management is currently considering thsi request.</li><li>Install dye packs at the teller stations. (We currently have just a motion triggered vault pack.) - Approved by senior management.</li><li>Close the rear entrance to customers. Require customers to enter via the front door. - This recommendation was flatly refused by senior management.</li></ol>Note: We did meet with the local and state police to discuss possible action steps. Unfortunately, the police informed senior management they felt a security guard would act as a deterrent.I am having a difficult time convincing senior management not to hire a securty guard.Your thoughts on this matter would be greatly appreciated.Also, if you have any articles or statitistics regarding the use of guards, I would appreciate receiving a copy.
02/04/2002
Any tips for performing night inspections?
01/07/2002
We are facing a potential loss because of a bookkeeper stealing checks from their employer and forging our customer's signature. Our customer's attorney alleges that we were at fault for not spotting the signature variations on checks over $2,500 (the bank's policy) that were reviewed by us. The alleged fraud dates back to March 2000. My question is: Is there a standard threshold amount that most banks use when reviewing incoming/inclearing on-us checks? Is $2500 a reasonable threshold? What process is used to determine that a signature is irregular? Is the customer contacted? Does the branch get involved?
01/07/2002
I am the bank Security Officer and have been asked to help our H.R. Dept. come up with better hiring practices.I am not sure how far we can go when investigating potential employees. Can we contact local police, or other agencies, for criminal background checks or can we get certain types of reports from the credit bureau?
12/03/2001
I'm passing on a question that came to me from a subscriber. Any responses in addition to mine are welcome! My security officer writes: The OCC security regulation states at 21.3(b)(2) that the bank shall have "A lighting system for illuminating, during the hours of darkness, the area around the vault, if the vault is visible from outside the banking office." Does this mean that regular lighting should be supplemented with emergency lighting that would illuminate the front of the vault during a power outage? The regulation doesn't differentiate between having power and not having power. The loss of power isn't specifically mentioned in the regulation.Do you have any feel for what the industry standard is in this situation? Has anyone addressed, or found the need to address this issue in the past?
12/03/2001
What do you suggest for annual security training for back office (mostly non-customer contact) employees? We have completed the retail (front-line) training and robbery is not likely to effect the back office staff. Are we required to train the back office staff on robbery each year?
12/01/2001