Mainebiz

W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 23 N OV E M B E R 2 7 , 2 0 2 3 B A N K I N G / F I N A N C E / I N S U R A N C E to knowledge and education as the biggest preven- tion tool. e association does its part via a monthly "fraud call" to compare notes about recent fraud attempts; the group also alerts all its members when it learns of a fraud attempt at any individual bank. A crimefighter at Bangor Savings At Bangor Savings Bank, Diane Porter is director of financial crimes, though the bank is so secretive about its anti-fraud efforts that it refuses to disclose the size of the team she oversees. "I started in banking in the late 90s, when fraud trends were a bit different," mainly around counter- feit currency and travelers' checks and check kiting, she recalls. e latter typically involves passing checks at two or more banks using accounts with insufficient funds. Her interest in fighting fraud started when she was an entry-level teller and continues to this day. "Whenever I caught suspicious or unusual activity it was almost like a thrill," she says. Porter says that for every $1 of attempted check fraud the bank sees, it pre- vents $22. While those numbers fluctuate, one constant is the bank's partnerships with local law enforcement and experts from industry groups in fighting fraud. Porter sees the role of people, from a nimble financial crimes team in the back office to tellers in branches, as essential to fighting fraud. "Technology will never replace the human ele- ment," she says. R e n e e C o r d e s , M a i n e b i z s e n i o r w r i t e r , c a n b e r e a c h e d a t r c o r d e s @ m a i n e b i z . b i z P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY F O C U S Diane Porter, director of financial crimes at Bangor Savings Bank, says her team benefits from partnerships with local law enforcement and industry groups.

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