Charities that continue to use cheques need to safeguard against fraud.

Charities can avoid some of the common pitfalls that often lead to cheque fraud by following simple advice - Angela Thomas

The Cheque and Credit Clearing Company (C&CCC) has published a new guide to help charities safeguard themselves from fraud when paying by cheque.

Figures published by Financial Fraud Action UK show that cheque fraud fell by 22% last year – down from losses of £35.1 million in 2012 to £27.5m in 2013.

However, with most charities still regular users of cheques, C&CCC said they still need to follow common sense advice to minimise their chances of being part of these statistics.

The guide, Safeguard your charity from cheque fraud, provides useful advice and tips for charities.

It suggests drawing a line through unused space, ensuring cheques sent in the post aren’t visible through envelope windows and checking bank statements regularly for unfamiliar transactions.

Angela Thomas, managing director of the Cheque and Credit Clearing Company, said: “Charities can avoid some of the common pitfalls that often lead to cheque fraud by following simple and straightforward advice detailed in our new guide.

"This can help any charity using cheques make sure they best protect themselves from the criminals undertaking these devious crimes.”