According to a December 2011 survey published by the American Bankers Association, 73 percent of banks reported check fraud losses in 2010, totalling approximately $893 million in losses.

Charles Andrews, director of security and investigations at TeleCheck, a division of First Data, says the key to staying on top of ever-shifting check fraud tactics and tracking down the criminals is maintaining strong relationships with not just internal risk assessors but also law-enforcement agencies across the country, including the Secret Service. His team's accomplishments were noted by the U.S. Marshals Service, which invited Andrews and his team to train its investigators on financial crime investigation tactics.

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Andrews joined the electronic check acceptance service four years ago, after 30 years in law enforcement, corporate security, business risk, and consulting. As a proponent of professional development, Andrews has joined his entire team in pursuing master's degrees at the University of Houston. He has received a lifetime achievement award from the International Society of Crime Prevention Specialists, has studied criminal justice at Sam Houston State University, and has board certifications from the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners and ASIS International.

We recently spoke with Andrews about the never-ending task of battling check fraud.