DAYTON, Ohio--May 6, 2004-- Each year, U.S. companies lose more than $600 billion to fraud, with counterfeiting and document fraud making up more than two-thirds of that amount, according to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. In its continued commitment to help businesses combat fraud, Standard Register, a leader in document security and business process improvement, announced it will host a series of fraud-prevention workshops to educate business professionals on how to help protect their companies from becoming victims of fraud. Now in their 12th year, Standard Register's free, half-day workshops will be led by the foremost authority on fraud, Frank W. Abagnale, whose youthful exploits as a forger and imposter were depicted in the motion picture, Catch Me If You Can. Author of The Art of the Steal, Abagnale also has lectured to and consulted with hundreds of financial institutions, corporations and government agencies around the world. "Fraud is easier to perpetrate today than ever before," says Dan Thaxton, manager of document security for Standard Register. "Easy access to the Internet and advancements in digital technology provide anyone with a computer, a scanner and a color laser printer the ability to recreate authentic-looking documents." According to Thaxton, document fraud involves far more than checks. In fact, phony product packaging, labels, certificates of authenticity, vital records, car titles, transcripts, rebate coupons, licenses, gift certificates, diplomas, medical prescriptions, passports and event tickets are often targets for fraudulent activity. Standard Register's workshops cover all aspects of fraud--the methods and technologies used by forgers, the liabilities associated with fraud, and the latest deterrents and advanced security techniques. Thaxton emphasizes that the workshops offer practical information for reducing losses related to fraudulent documents, checks, labels, tickets and plastic cards. In fact, he reports there have been several participant companies that have reduced their incidence of fraud from one in 1,000 to just one in 100,000 by applying Abagnale's recommendations. Standard Register has earned a reputation in the financial services industry with its innovative secure-document technologies, which include heat-sensitive (thermochromic) and tamper-resistant inks, copy-preventive paper, micro-printing, hidden watermarks and holograms. The company also provides secure printing systems, encoders and scanners; document outsourcing services; and security audits and other consulting services. The first of Standard Register's six fraud prevention workshops will be held May 19 in Burlington, Mass. Business professionals can learn more information about this and other upcoming workshops by visiting http://www.standardregister.com/Events.