Back when I was employed by a Michigan bank in the auditing department and responsible for investigating fraud, both internal and external, I was never in want of work. It seems there’s no limit to the number of people who are hellbent on swindling others. After several years of uncovering crooks and documenting their modus operandi, a colleague and I decided to write a booklet about their exploits. We called it Slick Swindles, and it became an instant hit. As a result of our work, the American Bankers Association offered the booklet to all its member banks, which back then numbered about 50,000 financial institutions. In addition, I traveled the nation, giving more than 150 presentations about flimflams and scams; I even went to Hawaii for a national bankers’ convention.

 …