A few months ago, we had a large colony of bats take up residence in our house. With the issue now resolved, and with everything we had to do to get rid of them, I realize how the whole experience was similar to the tactics of fraudsters and the challenges faced by their victims in taking preventive, detective and corrective action.
We learned of the initial intrusion purely by accident. Previously, we have never had any sign of vermin being able to gain entry, so I thought we had a solid defense. My wife had noticed a small amount of droppings on the back porch but we thought they were from squirrels. Imagine my shock when my adult son informed me we had been invaded by bats. He had discovered them one morning following an overnight stay. Departing for an early tee time, he noticed a swarm of bats flying into a soffit vent crevice. Incredulous, I waited for dusk only to see for myself a constant stream of small brown bats exiting the soffit crevice.
My wife went a little bat crazy as she imagined hoards bats swooping down to carry off one of our grandkids. Actually, she was more concerned about the real threat of respiratory disease from their droppings as well as the potential for rabies. We began to do some research, and I soon learned that bats are a protected species, so they cannot be disturbed unless they are posing an immediate health threat. They weren’t, since they were not in our living space. But the problem intensified, which I realized one evening when I saw an even larger colony emerging from our chimney.
We began contacting companies that specialize in wildlife removal. We found a wide variety of suggested courses of action and prices. We selected one company based on its reputation, process, guaranteed results, and pricing. The company’s first step was to inspect the entire house to identify any other potential points of entry and to seal them. We notified our neighbors so they could be on the lookout to make sure the bats didn’t settle inside their houses. The next step was to install one-way excluders that would permit the bats to leave but not get back in. This seemed to be working well until a group of the bats somehow got word they were being evicted. Trying to find another way into the house, they navigated an interior wall and became trapped. Without water, they soon died and a putrid smell began to emerge. After cutting several holes in the wall, the technicians were able to locate the source and remove the carcasses. After a couple of weeks, the excluders were removed and the entry points sealed so we thought the problem was resolved.
Imagine our further surprise when we returned from vacation and found about 50 dead bats in our unfinished basement. It seems a group had remained and found a chase route from the attic to the basement seeking water. With the disposal of those bats, the problem seems to have finally been resolved. As fall approaches and bats migrate to warmer climates, the threat diminishes, but I can assure you we will be on the alert next spring.
So how does this relate to the payments fraud environment? Some similarities:
- We thought we had a strong defense perimeter and were safe, but the bats found a way inside given they require an opening of only three-eighths of an inch.
- While our discovery came shortly after their initial entry, it was only by sheer luck. We could have acted earlier if we had not ignored the early warning sign of their droppings.
- We thought we had identified the sole location of the problem, but they then migrated to a second entry point.
- Regulations limited the potential range of actions we could take to deal with the issue.
- We shared information about the situation with our neighbors so they could be on the alert.
- We analyzed several different options for dealing with the issue and preventing its recurrence.
- Despite what we thought was a successful process, other issues arose and required action before there was a final resolution.
This experience with Mother Nature has provided us a learning opportunity and we are better informed and on the alert for future such events.
By David Lott, a payments risk expert in the Retail Payments Risk Forum at the Atlanta Fed