We'd like to send a special thanks to Will Yancey (www.willyancey.com ) for sending information about these two Unclaimed Property stories. The first is a warning from the state of Nebraska. Here it is.
Lincoln, Neb. - Nebraska State Treasurer Shane Osborn has released the following statement regarding recent activity by predatory unclaimed property "finder" companies attempting to bilk Nebraska residents of a portion of their money.

"Recently, my office has received numerous reports from Nebraskans regarding letters they have received from unclaimed property "finder" companies like Keane, SMS Group, and Equisearch. These companies offer to recover unclaimed stock profits that belonged to the addressee or to their deceased family member provided they sign an agreement to pay 33% or 35% of the recovered property as a finder's fee.

"This is an outright scam.

"In reality, the property these companies are offering to recoup on behalf of the individual should have been, or will be shortly, reported to the State Treasurer's Office where it can be recovered free of charge. In Nebraska, individuals do not need 'finders' to recover unclaimed property because their right to ownership never expires. You can read the rest of this short piece at http://www.klkntv.c om/global/story.asp? s=8584775&ClientType=Printable

Now, for the TV show. NBC's Dateline is starting a new show hosted by former NY Giant Tiki Barber. It is called you might be rich and reunites people with their "unclaimed property." Without a doubt this will raise the profile of this issue. NBC has put a clip of the new show on the Internet. But, be forewarned, if you watch and listen to it in your office. It will sound like you are watching a game show. So, either make sure the volume on your computer is turned down or watch it at home. The clip can be viewed at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/211 34540/vp/25674628#25674628

Without a doubt this will have repercussions in the corporate world - especially if the show is not canceled quickly (my husband's prediction). In case you haven't already guessed, we believe it is important that all our readers employ best practices when it comes to their Unclaimed Property responsibilities. That's why we are sponsoring two Unclaimed Property Best Practice seminars - in Los Angeles and Cincinnati.

Next week we've got two webinars to liven up your July. First, on Tuesday, Tracey Reid will explain to attendees what they should do if they've never filed with the states before and would like to get started. With all the attention this issue is getting, this is one event you won't want to miss if you are not reporting. Use this link to register for the event or the CD.

Two days later, I'll be taking the podium (so to speak) to talk about travel and entertainment best practices. We will include a copy of the $65 John Wiley & Sons book entitled Travel and Entertainment Best Practices with either the CD or the webinar - and no if you purchase the combo for $259 you do not get two copies of the book.

To respond to questions we've received from several readers: None of this spring or summers CDs are included in the sale. We've compiled a list of CDs being sold at a reduced price. Most of the price reductions are in the neighborhood of 50%. To see what we have for sale, please send a note to publisher@ap-now.com and we will send you the list, which seconds as an order form. As usual we accept checks and credit card payments. However, the orders will have to be mailed, faxed, or e-mailed (if you scan the order form) here and we will run the credit cards. And all orders must be received by August 31.

The July issue contains advice on getting the most out of your ACH program, what to do when management dumps an employee into AP against your wishes, petty cash fraud, issuing a deceased employee's last paycheck (yes - this should be done in AP), enhancing your p-card program and the risks you may incur if you don't use positive pay. We've got a short excerpt from the last article.

Not Using Positive Pay: More Risks than You May Realize!

By now, most of our readers are aware that virtually every expert advocates positive pay as the best defense against check fraud. Yet, there are still a decent number of organizations not using the product. Clearly, they have not afforded themselves the protection offered by the product but Accounts Payable Now & Tomorrow sees another risk that many are not aware of. This piece examines this often unidentified risk.

Background

When there is a check fraud under current laws, responsibility for the loss is apportioned according to who was in the best position to prevent that fraud. So taking the appropriate steps to prevent check fraud within their own organization is imperative for all firms. This means exercising what is referred to as reasonable and ordinary care.

Although there are no concrete, written guidelines as to what constitutes reasonable care when it comes to checks, common sense should kick in. As for check stock, it is generally accepted that at least three security features should be imbedded in the stock. And, while the banks would probably like the use of positive pay to be incorporated in the standard of reasonable care, it is not-at least yet.

The Risk

Some banks are so insistent that their customers use positive pay that they insert a statement in their deposit agreements that effectively places the liability for check fraud on their customers if positive pay isn't used. Accounts payable rarely sees the deposit agreements. Typically, a very high-level executive will handle this document. If they are not sufficiently informed about the positive pay issue, this could slip past them.

The rest of this article is included in the July issue of Accounts Payable Now & Tomorrow.

Overcoming objections to using the IRS TIN Matching program - if you can't get your controller or CFO to sign up for TIN Matching because of their reluctance to provide personal data, this piece might change their minds. And, if it doesn't work - all I can save is I gave it my best shot.

Within the next day or two, I'll be logging on to talk about Tiki Barber's new show on Unclaimed Property.

To recommend this e-zine to another accounts payable or accounting professional, simply forward the entire newsletter or use the tiny link at the bottom. He or she will thank you.

• The Top 100 Most Wanted Duplicates
• Travel & Entertainment Best Practice webinar on July 24
• Take the Duplicate Payment Survey
• Duplicate Payment Diagnostic Service
• The Future of Accounts Payable (look to the bottom of the page)

I'd like to ask again that you participate in our duplicate payment survey. Completing it will only take a few minutes and everyone who participates gets a copy of the Executive summary of the results. And, speaking of duplicate payments, we're devoting the entire October issue to that perennial problem - and it will be a dozy, 24 pages filled with advice you can use to get a handle on this problem. Until next week - when we'll have information about our September 22 B-Notice webinar, thanks for listening.

Mary Schaeffer Accounts Payable Now & Tomorrow, a CRYSTALLUS Inc. publication