By 1999, fraud losses at Centura Bank were becoming less a pesky problem than a serious dilemma. The bank's losses had reached a record high of $1.3 million due to the cutting
edge technology available to crooks. Scanners, laser printers and other commonplace office equipment were making it a whole lot easier to sneak a counterfeit check past an unwary
teller. "There are fraudulent checks out there that look obscenely real," says Thomas Beam, employee communications manager for Centura.
Employees were unfamiliar with policies and procedures - in a poll of 20 managers, only three had employees who could name some fraud prevention procedures. To complicate
matters, tellers were reluctant to enforce the procedures even when they did recognize a fraudulent check - some were afraid the criminals passing the checks might become violent
if caught.
Beam and his internal team were challenged by the bank to develop an employee communications campaign that would support the goal of reducing fraud losses by 20 percent in
2000. They took an unlikely approach to the very serious matter with a humorous concept for the campaign. The team created a video including a retired police detective - a la
Leslie Nielson's "Naked Gun" character - who offers to help a banking center manager prevent fraud. The bumbling detective then gets a lesson in fraud prevention techniques from
the manager. The communications team previewed the video at Centura's 1999 manager's conference, hoping to create a sense of anticipation for the campaign. "We had all these
people in for training," Beam says. "We created what looks like a movie trailer, and they all went back to their banking centers and said, 'You gotta see what we'll be getting
next year.' In January, we even got calls asking for it."
Once the video was released in 2000, internal publications supported the campaign with a weekly fraud prevention section and success stories highlighting exemplary employees
who were doing their part to take a bite out of fraud.
Despite an increase of 80,000 customers - and the resulting increase in the potential for fraud - Centura's losses to fraud in 2000 dropped to $1.1 million. When managers were
polled again, 16 out of 20 had employees who were familiar with fraud procedures, and 10 out of 12 customer service managers said their staff were much more comfortable with the
procedures.
(Thomas Beam, Centura, 252/454-2081)
Campaign Player: Centura Bank Internal Communications Team
Campaign Timeframe: December 1999 - December 2000
Campaign Budget: $30,000 excluding salaries