Nearly half of fiscal officers in local governments in Ohio told the state auditor they are unaware of anti-fraud services that are available to protect their bank accounts. Auditor Dave Yost says at the banks those governments use. He said 49% said they are unfamiliar with those services, and 65 percent said they have no anti-fraud services on their accounts or are unsure if they do. Yost said those services are cheap compared to the protection they offer 鈥� which can catch fraud that the bank might otherwise miss. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think any of the services would be something I would consider expensive considering the potential losses,鈥� Yost said.
In June, a fiscal officer in Liberty Township in Delaware County found a forged check for $134,000 cashed by a bank the township doesn鈥檛 use. The funds were returned, and the trustees added anti-fraud protection to the township鈥檚 bank account 鈥� at a cost of $65 a month.
