Disbursement Controls · Cost Tool

Cost of a Fraudulent Payment Calculator

The face value is rarely the real number. See what a fraudulent payment actually costs once recovery odds, investigation time, fees, and reputational impact are factored in.

Face value of the fraudulent payment

$

Payment rail used

Recovery odds differ significantly by rail.

How long after the payment was fraud discovered?

Time is the single biggest factor in whether funds can be recovered.

Internal investigation time

Estimated staff hours and blended hourly cost across finance, IT, and legal. Defaults update based on the rail selected — adjust as needed.

$

Additional external costs

Optional — outside counsel, forensic accounting, customer notification, etc.

$

Reputational & audit exposure

Select any that apply — these add an intangible cost multiplier.

Board or audit committee will be notified
A customer, investor, or lender relationship could be affected
This would trigger an external audit finding or regulatory disclosure

Estimated Cost Breakdown

Face value $0
Less: expected recovery –$0
Estimated unrecovered principal $0
Plus: bank / reversal fees +$0
Plus: internal investigation cost +$0
Plus: external costs +$0
Direct cost subtotal $0
Reputational / audit multiplier ×1.00
Estimated total exposure $0

Wire and check recovery figures are grounded in published data: the FBI IC3 Recovery Asset Team's Financial Fraud Kill Chain has posted annual wire-recovery success rates between 58% and 75% in recent years for cases reported promptly (its formal window is 72 hours, though investigators advise reporting within 48 hours or the same day for realistic odds); published industry estimates put average check fraud recovery around 18% overall. ACH and card figures are directional estimates — no rail-specific recovery study for either was found, so treat those numbers with more caution than the wire and check figures. In every case, actual recovery depends heavily on your bank, the receiving institution, and how quickly you act. This tool is a planning estimate, not a guarantee or a substitute for immediately contacting your bank and filing a report at ic3.gov.

This tool runs entirely in your browser — nothing you enter is transmitted or stored.

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