Copeland is responsible for maintaining compliance with federal and state laws related to security regulations. He implements security programs that protect the bank's assets and safety of its personnel. Copeland recommends and implements procedures to protect the bank from larcenies, robberies, burglaries and fraud. He also coordinates with an outsourced facility management business partner to oversee all bank-owned and leased properties.
Always think of victims as if they were close family members. The way fraudsters are targeting the elderly, it could very easily be one of your relatives.
There are two key investigative skills that I have learned throughout the years: be thorough and have patience. In the banking industry, fraud can be so widespread. You can have the latest and greatest technology on the market and still need old-fashioned investigative skills to catch the crooks.
I have an undergraduate degree in Business Administration (Southern Wesleyan University) and a Master of Arts in Security Management (Webster University). The business degree provides me with the essential analytical skills for all sectors of business and industry, as well as opportunity in a managerial career. With rapid growth and so much competition in the security field, I realized that an advanced degree was essential for my future career goals and would provide additional security management skills.
I knew law enforcement was in my blood because several family members were officers. I joined the Simpsonville, S.C., Police Department in 1992 and was immediately placed with an experienced officer in the on-the-job-training program. Back in 1992, small departments could train a new officer for a couple of months and then send them out on the road. In November of 1992, I graduated from the police academy. After six years in the department, I transferred from uniform patrol to the Criminal Investigative Division. As a new investigator, I worked all of the economic crimes. As I started investigating these cases, I developed a passion for catching "paper hangers."
Working in law enforcement introduced me to the ACFE. The majority of the bank investigators in the Greenville area had the CFE credential. After I began my career with The Palmetto Bank, my director encouraged me to obtain the CFE credential.
A most enjoyable part of my responsibilities is providing security training seminars and lectures on robberies and fraud prevention for the bank's teammates. I often conduct identity theft seminars for local community organizations.
In 2003, I was quoted in an ABA Banking Journal column called "Pass the Aspirin," dedicated to combating operational fraud. After its release, I realized that law enforcement had provided me a platform and many opportunities, and it was time to show them how much we appreciated their services and support. So, eight years ago I started a law enforcement appreciation luncheon. The guest list includes police chiefs, sheriffs, economic crime investigators, senior federal law enforcement agents and solicitors. Elite South Carolinian law enforcement officials speak on white-collar crimes and how they're combating these crimes.
I am the vice president of the ACFE South Carolina state chapter. About three years ago, the chapter was on life support. But Patrice Sebastian, CFE, CPA, president; Jason Blummer, CPA, treasurer/secretary; and I worked tirelessly to bring it back to life. We created five branches because of the wide geographic dispersion of our members around the state. Our "branch leaders," who also are board members, are responsible for managing, training and recruiting within their assigned areas. Last fall, we co-hosted our first statewide training event in more than five years with the South Carolina
Association of CPAs.
As a fraud examiner, you never know where a case may take you. One in particular involved four business checks that one of our media advertising clients mailed from Greenville, S.C., to a prominent magazine in Newark, N.J. The checks, which totaled $270,000, were intercepted at a mail-drop center, chemically washed and altered. The fraudsters mailed each of the checks to four individuals in separate states who had responded to an online ad from a supposed work-at-home business. A person identifying himself as the hiring manager for the business interviewed the prospective employees and told them they would each receive a package via express mail with a check and instructions to deposit it into their checking account. They were then to forward the total amount to three different cities, less 10 percent, which was their pay. Our bank's security software blocked three out of four of the checks when they were returned to our bank for processing. The fourth check had been deposited at a large institution in Memphis, Tenn. So I boarded a plane and followed the case to Tennessee.
Some of the lessons I've learned so far: always remember the victim first, pay close attention to each detail about specific events and occurrences involving the fraud, and follow through investigating every piece of evidence — no matter how big or small.
Cora Bullock is assistant editor of Fraud Magazine.
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