No doubt about it. Fighting fraud is tough. But there is good news: With continuous vigilance, member education and the latest fraud-fighting tools, we can stay ahead in the battle against fraudulent activities.

Financial fraud is a growing, global concern, whether it's done through the mail, online or face-to-face. According to a 2008 study by CyberSource, $4 billion in online revenues were lost to payment fraud last year. And the 2009 survey by the Association of Financial Professionals found that 71% of organizations fell victim to attempted or actual payments fraud in 2008, with the largest percentage reporting check fraud, followed by ACH debit and consumer credit and debit cards. With fraud statistics on the rise-and new, alternative delivery systems for financial transactions enticing criminals-credit unions are wise to arm themselves with fraud-fighting tools and strategies.

Fraudsters have learned to adapt their techniques, making them increasingly more sophisticated when met with resistance. When shoulder surfing and dumpster diving gained attention, people responded by shredding personal documents and merchants stopped printing card numbers on receipts. Perpetrators turned to using counterfeit credit cards, and the industry implemented additional security codes, expiration date matching and card alert systems. And when criminals targeted ATMs to fraudulently obtain consumers' card information and PINs, providers like CO-OP Financial Services pushed back, implementing new rules and encryption programs.