KEYSTONE HEIGHTS —The president of Capital City Bank for Bradford and Clay counties said that with chip technology making debit card transactions more secure, criminals are returning to check fraud as a primary way to steal money from depositors.
Patricia Evans told the Keystone Heights Rotary Club that while attempted ACH and wire fraud increased 75% from 2021 to 2022, attempted check fraud rose by 171% in that same period.
Evans said her bank encourages customers to disburse funds through their debit cards rather than checks whenever possible. She said that while little consumer protection exists for check fraud, federal regulations require financial institutions to investigate debit card fraud and return money to customers when warranted.
