At any financial institution, security and fraud prevention are important matters. At First Trust Credit Union, Tom Dougherty serves as the Investments and Fraud Manager and focuses on helping credit union members rectify any fraudulent charges on their accounts.
Being in charge of fraud is no small task. Dougherty processes wire transfers, monitors debit card fraud situations, stolen cards, counterfeit cards, and even double charges on member accounts. His main concern is taking care of members and trying to rectify the situation as quickly as possible.
“Whenever someone has an issue with their accounts, suspicious or fraudulent, I try to help them out and get it resolved,” Dougherty said. “We’re always trying to protect our member and identify any activity that may put their accounts at risk.”
Dougherty has been bringing his talents to First Trust for 21 years and has been witness to many changes during that time. Throughout those mergers and changes, though, Dougherty has remained a steadfast employee. For him, that’s a large part due to the teamwork he’s experienced.
“Here, at First Trust, if you need assistance, everyone is willing to help you get that issue solved or find additional information,” Dougherty said. “You don’t just get left on your own. There’s a lot of communication between departments and employees. Teamwork is one of the principles we utilize.”
While Dougherty believes First Trust offers an exceptional banking experience, he says it’s the people that really keep him around. From excellent supervisors to a helpful staff, they all work toward the same goal.
“I’ve worked with a lot of good people over the years,” Dougherty said. “People here, they act as mentors instead of supervisors. This is probably the kindest group of people I’ve had the honor of working with.”
Outside of work, Dougherty focuses on running and has completed 19 marathons! After years of running, training, and competing, he’s sticking more to the social side of it now, but says all the lessons he learned have been translatable to work and life in general.
“Running a marathon isn’t the hardest part, it’s all the training you have to put into it before you get to the starting line,” Dougherty said. “We have a lot of training here at work and a lot of employees who are willing to share information they’ve learned. If you put in the effort and the work, you should be successful at whatever you do.”
After 21 years with First Trust and many years running, Dougherty is sure to shed some light on what makes people successful. But first and foremost, he’s doing his part to protect the money of the members who entrust it to First Trust.
To learn more about First Trust Credit Union, visit them here!