Paper checks can put your business at risk.

Running a business today means balancing a lot at once. You’re hiring and training, delivering work for clients, planning for growth or change, and managing the day-to-day details that keep everything running. Your time and energy are limited, and every operational decision matters.

One area that often goes unnoticed are the ways your business sends and receives payments. Many businesses continue to rely on paper checks because they feel familiar. They’re tangible. They’ve “always worked.” But checks carry risks that can disrupt your business in very real ways. In fact, they’re one of the most common entry points for fraud. It may not feel urgent, but reconsidering how your business handles payments could help protect your revenue, your time, and your peace of mind.

Why paper checks are still a problem.

The reason why paper checks continue to be one of the payments methods most targeted by fraud is simple — they contain nearly everything someone would need to gain access to your checking account. Once that information is out of your hands, so is your control.

Common types of check fraud include the following:

• Lost or stolen checks. Once a check leaves your office, it could be lost, intercepted or stolen.
• Counterfeit checks. A fraudster can use your routing and account numbers to print and use a check that looks legitimate.
• Altered checks. Techniques like “check washing” allow someone to remove important information and rewrite it to their advantage.
• Internal misuse. Access to a book of blank checks can become an opportunity for someone with harmful intentions.

Even if you only cut a small number of checks each month, you’re opening a door that’s easy for others to walk through.

How check fraud shows up in everyday workflows.

Many businesses unknowingly create opportunities for fraud through normal processes:

• Mailing checks. Once a check is dropped in the mail, you lose visibility and control. If something happens in transit, your business details are exposed.
• Handing checks to vendors or employees. Even with trusted people or institutions, your information may go through several hands before it reaches a bank. Every transfer point adds risk.
• Checks stored at your business. A book of checks in a desk drawer can sit untouched for months, which can also mean they go unnoticed if one goes missing. Even when stored securely, access exists somewhere.

None of these require a sophisticated scheme. The simplicity is what makes check fraud so prevalent.

What you can do to better safeguard your business.

You have options to reduce these risks and regain control over your payments processes.

• Move away from paper checks. Digital payments solutions reduce the number of people who see your account information. While no system is completely risk-free, shifting away from paper minimizes the most common fraud entry points.
• Use positive pay. If you still must issue checks, positive pay helps your bank verify that a check matches what you issued. If something doesn’t match, the bank alerts you before paying it.
• Create internal checks and balances. If you continue to use paper checks, set clear access rules. Decide who can write checks, who approves payments, and how records are managed.

Taking even one of these steps can help mitigate fraud.

A simpler way forward: Automate how you pay and get paid.

You started your business for a reason, but managing bills, invoices, and incoming payments probably wasn’t it. Administrative work can easily take hours each week — hours that could be spent growing your business, serving your customers, or simply catching your breath.

That’s where CashFlow Complete can help. CashFlow Complete is Commerce Bank’s online solution that helps you pay bills as well as get paid faster. It replaces paper checks and manual processes with a streamlined system you can access from anywhere.

Here are a few of the benefits:

• Pay bills electronically. Save time by sending payments digitally instead of printing, signing, and mailing paper checks.
• Get paid faster. Send electronic invoices, set up automatic reminders, and make it easier for your customers to pay you.
• Sync with your accounting software. Keep your books up to date without entering payments by hand.
• Reduce your fraud risk. Limiting the number of checks you issue helps better protect your account information and may minimize your exposure to fraud.

When your payments move faster and more directly, you have better visibility and control of your cash flow. That’s time back. That’s fewer stress points. That’s a practical shift that supports your long-term goals.

Move away from paper checks with confidence.

Re-evaluating your payments process may feel small, but the impact is meaningful. Reducing manual steps can lower the chance of fraud. Streamlining invoicing improves cash flow. Automating payments frees up time and attention for what matters most in your work. You don’t have to overhaul everything at once. You can start by identifying where checks are still used and exploring how a digital approach could replace them.

Let’s make your payments process work for you, not against you.