Spotting fake travelers checks
Q. How can I be sure that a travelers check is not counterfeit?
A. All travelers checks today have security features similar
to those found on paper currency. However, with improvements in printing
technologies, counterfeiters are better able to fool the uninformed
or unsuspecting cashier.
Use the following acceptance guidelines.
Step 1: Check the travelers check(s) for security features:
• Paper—a counterfeit check may feel smoother or thicker than
paper currency.
• Watermark—each brand has its own watermark, which should
be visible on the front side of the check when lifted to the light.
A counterfeit check will not have a watermark or the watermark will
appear on the back side of the check.
• Raised texture—on American Express, Visa, Thomas Cook MasterCard
and some other brands, part of the printing feels raised or engraved.
• Holographic thread—a counterfeit check has no thread or
it appears as a dull strip rather than a shiny, metallic strip.
• Signature area—if this area is brownish or the background
printing there is missing or smudged, the check may have been “washed”
(the original signature removed through chemical means).
Step 2: Make sure the presenter countersigns the check in the lower left corner in front of you.
Step 3: Make sure the signature and counter-signature match.
Step 4: If the check is already countersigned, ask the presenter to sign it again on the reverse side and ask for photo identification. Check the identification against the information on the check (name, address, signature).
If you have any questions or doubts about accepting a travelers check,
call the issuer’s customer service department—they can verify
the holder’s name by the check’s serial number. The following
numbers are available at all times.
Visa: 800.227.6811
American Express: 800.525.7641
Thomas Cook MasterCard: 800.223.7373
Do you have a retailing question? Ask Michigan Retailers in writing:
by mail: 603 South Washington Avenue,
Lansing, MI 48933;
by fax: 517.372.1303;
by e-mail: tscott2@retailers.com.
