Friday, October 24, 1986/The Battalion/Page 3
State and Local
BUS
?8<bH0WD!ltof
Students warned to guard against check fraud
cs
leas
? — possibly ati
?kmg to extract
immigration i
iied with the Ki
kery of the son :
We claim toki
lof all ideas;
ilv can strer.it'
notables of y:.
reef f rom emp’i
il to apply fora
hi r ran-Waller 1:
Marquez, thozi
rfos Fuetuei
lovelist, and re
By Mary Ann Fisher
Reporter
Paying bills with checks is a way
of life for most people. Yet few peo
ple realize that check fraud is a ma
nor problem in Texas, and they
could be setting themselves up for
fraud each time they write a check.
Charles Zickerman, sales rep
resentative for Hedman F&E
Check Protectors, educates compa
nies and individuals about fraudu
lent checks and methods criminals
use to forge them.
He said some Texas companies
have gone bankrupt because of
check fraud and believes students
need to know about check fraud so
they can guard against it in the
business world.
Dr. Barbara Morris, accounting
professor at Texas A&M, said
Texas has a problem with check
fraud.
“Check fraud is a particularly
pervasive problem in Texas be
cause of the bad economy,” Morris
said. “Students need to be aware of
the problem so they can advise cli
ents (when they enter the business
world) and know what’s available to
protect them.”
Earlier this semester, Zickerman
spoke to A&M accounting students,
and Morris said she would like to
have him speak every semester.
Jennifer Rankin, an accounting
major, said the seminar was inter
esting and useful.
She said she found the most use
ful information was that a person
shouldn’t have their names printed
on their checks the same way they
sign their checks.
Zickerman used the example of a
person with the name Edward E.
Hoffman. He said Hoffman should
have his name printed on his checks
as E.E. Hoffman instead of Edward
Hoffman.
If a person stole a check from
Hoffman, he would most likely
forge Hoffman’s signature as Hof
fman’s name appears on the top of
the check, E.E. Hoffman. When the
bank received that check, it would
know that it was a forgery because
the bank has it on record that Hof
fman signs his checks as Edward
Hoffman, not E.E. Hoffman.
Zickerman said that by law the
only thing a bank is responsible for
is the signature. And even then, if
the forgery is a good one, the bank
almost always wins and the individ
ual suffers the loss, he said.
“Most people don’t read all the
fine print when they open an ac
count,” Zickerman said. “Banks are
generally freeing themselves of lia
bility when a person opens an ac
count.”
He said there are six U.S. Su
preme Court decisions that favor
banks. Those decisions indicate that
when people write checks they must
exercise all care possible to prevent
fraud.
The courts say the loss is the indi
vidual’s responsibility if he writes
checks carelessly and leaves himself
open to fraud.
Zickerman added that forgeries
are hard to prove because some
people can skillfully copy another
person’s signature.
Signatures also can be obtained
in other ways, he said, and demon
strated how easily signatures can be
obtained' by lifting them off a piece
of paper with wax paper.
Zickerman said a serious prob
lem with check fraud is the short
prison sentences offenders receive
— they usually serve light sentences
and are then released.
He said the danger of these short
sentences is that while offenders
are in prison, they almost always
learn more sophisticated methods
of check fraud which are more dif
ficult for police to detect.
He cited an example of a man
who met another check-fraud of
fender in prison.
While they were serving their
sentences, they developed a scheme
they implemented after they were
released, he said, and police
worked for months to uncover the
scheme.
Rankin said another interesting
fact she learned was how household
chemicals and a cotton swab have
been used to erase ink on checks.
With this method, a forger can
alter dollar amounts and the parties
to which the checks are made out
to, she said.
Zickerman said “safety checks”
can guard against this type of forg
ery because they have the word
“cancel” printed on the paper un
der the dye of the checks.
Zickerman demonstrated that
A T exas A&M student looks at examples of forged checks.
Photo by Anthony S. Casper
when a person tries to remove the
ink from the paper, the word “can
cel” appears and voids the check.
But this precaution isn’t a guar
antee, he said, since certain chemi
cals can cover the word “cancel”
and restore the check to its normal
appearance.
Zickerman said the best method
to guard against fraud is to use
equipment which cuts into the pa
per fibers. Names and dollar
amounts can never be altered with
this method, he said.
He said A&M uses this method.
Clements criticizes Texas prison system, blames White
rftignations, too.”
■Clements on Thursday continued his attack
oh Democratic incumbent Gov. Mark White’s
■ HOUSTON (AP) — Republican gubernato-
B/candidate Hill (dements said Thursday that
Texas Corrections Director O.L. McCotter, Mc-
H)tter’s top aides and the members of the
H>ard of Corrections should be fired for mis
managing the prison system.
■“1 can’t personally as governor terminate Me -
^Htter, but ... he comes under the authority of
tnadian write! the board,” Clements said. “I will ask for those
) was denied r. I
idow of slain Qi
>r AllendeGod
i; at the Univcrd
:t, she wassim
'ivedofhetvbi
ed trom enuul
communists, (bl
the right is foel
nation is sootfel
ed a visa. Out si
>erto d'Aukii'T
idor’s far rigtit
he infamous
squalid little
more than mi
turing. He tars'
‘ United Stales
ud sillv toi
Soviet Union,
out governmi
i s because
xception lo.tl
seliefs, notmtal
et by keep:.;' . I
Carran-Waltti
:» implement!
e behavenofcj
lans. Thevseiid
use they feared*
tlv, we seize pet*
'ton Post Writer'[r' (
handling of prison issues, concentrating on
what he says is a dramatic increase in the early
release of inmates, which he has labeled the
most sensitive issue of the campaign.
“As a result of Mark White’s irresponsible
leadership, thousands of prisoners are being re
leased,” Clements said.
“The average criminal now serves one of five
days beind bars,” Clements said, listing 2,070
murderers, rapists and sex offenders and
13,593 robbers and burglars among inmates re
leased early.
Clements, who earlier called for McCotter’s
ouster during the primary campaign, also said
White should recommend McCotter’s firing.
McCotter, in Austin to attend a prison board
meeting, said he does not respond to political
rhetoric.
“I just don’t think the prison system ought to
be a political football. . . . We’re running good,
safe constitutional prisons,” he said. “We’ve
made tremendous strides in the last two years.”
The prison issue surfaced earlier this month
with the airing of a Clements television com
mercial in which a Dallas woman, Susan Key,
complains that an inmate paroled by White
tried to rape her attacked her just two months
after he was released.
The Dallas Times Herald on Thursday re
ported the Corrections Department has been
changing rules to allow the speedy release of
prisoners.
Clements, speaking on a Houston radio talk
show early Thursday, also said he would ask
that the members of the Public Utility Commis
sion also quit.
Newsweek insert
delayed 1 week
Because of a last minute adver
tising insert, the October issue of
Newsweek On Campus magazine
was not inserted in Thursday’s is
sue of The Battalion.
The issue, which features a
two-page article on Texas A&M,
will be inserted Oct. 30.
If you're
considering
retirement.
Consider
Walden.
he residenjsof
>r accepting on! |
e excellent
atmosphere,
■nedand perl./1
lifferences.
s we only have
lany exciting
is Aggies,
ps as Aggies,aii|
iastn of the
nunity tothe
will be removed
and scattered
d Potential are
Us freedom of tin
"rica, and this I*'
Come home to Aggieland.
Our stereotypes of senior adults (and retire
ment housing) are fading. Thank goodness.
Seniors are retired from routine, sure. But they
are still busy, active and alive.
Seniors want to travel, to go, to learn, to grow.
And they want a carefree environment that
supports independent living in a safe, secure
surrounding without daily drudgery.
If you are considering a retirement move,
please give us a visit or a call. We are a warm,
caring community built for active senior adults.
staff reserves ita'-'
■n the author's#'' m
t telephone nw#'
Amenities include:
• close to Texas A&M and its educational,
cultural and championship sports activities
• staff on duty 24 hours a day
• lunch and dinner served with style (and
private kitchens, too)
• transportation
• laundry and dry cleaning pick up
• weekly housekeeping
• activities, travel, library, exercise, pool
• parking, elevators, convenience store, etc
Walden
Dr. Jarvis and Alma Miller, managing directors
Walden on Memorial
2410 Memorial Drive/Bryan
823-7914
9-Piece
Shrimp Dinner
Special $4.99
Limited Time Only^
It’s heaven for shrimp lovers.
Nine of our large, juicy, batter-
fried shrimp with cocktail sauce
for dipping. Served with our
freshly-made cole slaw and golden
fryes. Enjoy it today!
Good at: 1808 Texas Ave.,
College Station &
3224 S. Texas Ave., Bryan