subject: What Is High Risk Automated Clearing House Processing Situation [print this page] Most people are not so familiar with what a high risk ACH processing transaction is. An ACH, or automated clearing house payment, is a payment that is made electronically. A aba number and checking account number are used to pretty much process an electronic check. A high risk payment can happen when a transaction is processed outside of where the customer lives, in a high risk state, when it is an unusually large payment, or a first time that an ACH payment is made.
Many places allow payments to be processed by as an ACH payment. This can be much easier for the customer because they do not have to send in a payment by mail. This saves on stamps as well as time. It is a lot simpler to avoid a late charge by making a payment this way.
It is smart to be cautious with your checking account information. Make sure not to leave checks laying around where people can get confidential information that is located on them such as routing numbers and account numbers for checking. If a person gets this information they can very simply use it to process a fraudulent ACH payment. That is why whenever cancelling out a check it is better to destroy it instead of just writing void on it. This helps to prevent a fraudster from getting a hold of information.
When contacting a company to process a payment, they will usually take additional steps to insure they are talking to you and not someone trying to pull a scam. Once they are sure that they are talking to the correct person they will then process the ACH payment over the phone.
Technology has advanced so far. Fifty years ago it would have been unheard of to be able to just process a payment by phone like we do today. It definitely makes the bill paying process so much easier.
Not everyone feels comfortable making an ACH payment though. Some people prefer to just send a check or money order by mail. It is also possible to make a payment in person as long as there is a branch or store close by. Just walk right in and hand them cash. It is all about works best for the situation.
Always remember that when making a payment that there is the option to make the payment by phone. Just remember to keep your personal checking information hidden away in a safe place when you are not using it. Always be courteous to customer service professionals when they are asking ID questions. This is just protecting your account. This way you don't end up having high risk ACH processing happening on your account.
