🐐🎧🎶 Ink, Lies & Alibis
🎶 Ink, Lies, and Alibis
A True (Tragic) Tale of Title Fraud, Sung with a Country Drawl
In this heart-wrenching (yet weirdly toe-tapping) ballad, we follow the story of a title agent who did everything right…
Except one thing: they didn’t use Positive Pay. 😬
And that’s how Clyde—somewhere in Georgia—rode off into the sunset with a stolen check, a new guitar, and maybe a boat.
This song’s for every title processor who’s had to:
✔️ Cancel a closing because of missing funds
✔️ File a fraud claim while trying not to cry
✔️ Explain to a consumer that, yes, “check washing” is real
✔️ Be the hero after a system failure nobody saw coming
You’re not alone.
But if you're still mailing checks without protections?
You might be next. 🎯
✅ What You Should Do Today:
Ask your escrow bank if they offer Positive Pay (most do).
Call your software vendor. Find out if they have integration with your bank to facilitate positive pay - most do
Enable it for all outgoing checks—immediately.
Train your team on proper check handling and mail procedures.
Buy a new pen. Black gel pens are more difficult to wash off because the ink binds with the paper fibers.
Other steps you should be thinking about:
Make sure you're purchasing check paper with security features. This is one no one ever talks about. Not all checks are created equal. Personally, I've been doing business with ASAPChecks for over 20 years and I recommend them to all of my title clients.
Consider moving to wires when possible—less paper, more control.
Consider working with a payment processing & fraud detection firm like Rynoh, ClosingLock or CertifID.
While you're at it, check out the Wire Fraud Prevention Kit available in the Wicked Easy Shop.
🔐 Avoid Being the Star of Your Own Fraud Ballad
🎁 Download the Wire Fraud Prevention Easy Kit:
✅ Consumer Marketing Materials - flyers, social media posts, articles
✅ Operations Manual Pages
✅ Customer Education & Communication Templates
This is everything you wish you had before Clyde washed your check and your will to live.
📢 Your Turn
🎧 Listen, laugh, learn, then:
▶️ Share this with your escrow manager, ops director, or anyone who still prints checks like it’s 1999.
🖤 Subscribe to Wicked Title Forum for more tools, tunes, and fraud-fighting realness.
Let’s make sure the next country song is about winning closings, not losing money.
Stay Wicked,Cheryl
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