Education Eagle Award Runner Up 2001 Educational Session

Chapter Contact: Cherilyn Wiatr
Phone Number: (773) 229-1500 ext. 11

1. Please describe the activity or event being recommended for this award.

   Check Fraud Training was presented by Ken Otsuka, Senior Risk Management Specialist, Credit Union Protection Risk Management Department of Cuna Mutual. In this session Mr. Otsuka taught us why check fraud has become such a huge problem for credit unions. He also showed how easy it is for someone to commit check fraud and how credit unions can protect themselves and their insurer from potential huge losses from a fraudulent check.

   The check fraud seminar included in a brief overview of Reg CC and how it can be used to protect the credit union. It also showed how the scam artist operates when committing check fraud, including new account scams. Mr. Otsuka explained how to identify high risk accounts during the new account screening process. He also identified what tellers should look for to detect altered checks, counterfeit checks, and check kiting schemes.

2. How did the activity or event reflect favorable on the credit union movement or rise about the norms of routine activity?

   These sessions are sessions are usually held at the Illinois Credit Union League in Naperville and there generally is a substantial cost involved with the session. The De Ramus Chapter Board decided that Check Fraud Training was a very worthwhile and important topic for our member credit unions. We further felt that since our Chapter includes many small credit Unions who might not be able to spend their funds on educational sessions that our project for the year would be to sponsor Check Fraud Training. Furthermore this would be FREE to any member credit union that wanted to send as many employees as they could. There was absolutely no cost to the individual credit unions. We also invited credit unions from the four chapters on the south side of Chicago. These chapters were Southeast, Seminara Jackson, Brietzke, as well as De Ramus. United Credit Union was willing to let us use their community room at no expense. We convinced Ken Otsuka to agree to two sessions. United and Archer Heights provided refreshments for the day while Jan from Cuna Mutual Group helped with the notices and their mailing. Also Jerry Gibbs and Brad Beck, Cuna reps, were present at the session to help greet people and to introduce Ken Otsuka. Annie from the Illinois Credit Union League helped by providing labels for all the credit unions contacted. We feel that our project shows that with a joint effort from various organizations and numerous people we were able to provide a very valuable educational session to four Chapters of credit unions at no cost to the credit unions themselves. Once again, the "people helping people" philosophy WORKS.

3. What results were achieved?

We had 10 credit unions take part by sending several employees to one or both sessions. This was a great way to get the much needed information to employees with no cost to their credit unions and with minimum or no travel time. The more employees are educated in these issues that have the potential to cause hug losses to their credit unions, the more effectively the credit union will be able to run and the more valuable the employee will be to their credit union. De Ramus Chapter and its Board are always looking for ways to help bring educational programs to the member credit unions and their employees.