Criminals’ Christmas rush threatens shopkeepers

Press, 14 December 1982, Page 35

Criminals’ Christmas rush threatens shopkeepers

The pre-Christmas shopping rush is a bonanza time for the con-men — and women — who specialise in cashing valueless cheques. These criminals often rely on busy and harassed shop staff to overlook the stringent precautions that

should always be taken in their haste to get on a serve the next customer. The busier the shop is. the more the management should be on its guard. Never make an exception because that “nice little old lady" looks perfectly honest. Only one. or possibly two, persons should be authorised to give permission to cash cheques. They should be senior, responsible members of the firm. It takes time for a cheque to be referred to these staff members, and the nervous passer of bad cheques will often lose his or her nerve and walk or run from the shop. Never be in a hurry to cash a cheque. Take your time. Remember that it is your goods and your money that are at stake. The golden rule is for a retailer to ask himself: “If I cash this cheque and it is valueless, will I be able to locate the person who presented it?" If you cannot answer “yes" with confidence, you do not know enough about the customer, and should not cash the cheque without making further inquiries. The customer should be asked to endorse the cheque on the rear, in front of a

staff member. The endorsement should include not only a signature, but also a full name, address, and a telephone number. Read back the address to the customer, transposing one of the numbers on the street where he says he lives. If he agrees that this changed address is correct, you should refuse the cheque and call the police. Be wary of “third party cheques." made payable to your customer by a third person. You may know both parties and be able to cash it without fear, but on the other hand you may not know the writer.

In this event, tell the customer that you can cash his personal cheque, but that it is store policy not to cash cheques like the one he is presenting. Do not accept post-dated or stale-dated cheques. The former are merely loans, repayable at a later date, while the latter are quite likely to be cheques which have no funds to meet them. Never accept cheques from juveniles unless you know their parents and the

standing of the parents. Juveniles are not legally responsible, and you may find yourself out of pocket. Be wary of the “I'm an old customer" routine. If he is not known to you or the other staff members,. take the usual precautions. Don't be taken in by his waving to another member of the staff and getting an acknowledgement. It's a natural reaction to acknowledge such a greeting-

Be wary of the "big name dropper." This type mentions the names of town notables, often using their Christian names, to allay your suspicions.

He may even call himself "doctor" or "professor," or speak of his business as a barrister or engineer. Take the usual precautions. The professional confidence man has developed a charming and convincing personality specifically for the purpose of deceiving you. Never gauge the validity of a cheque by the personality of the person offering it.

Don’t make his or her appearance your only yardstick; follow the rules.