A method for screening for potential fraud in commercial paper is provided. For example, a method of the invention comprises steps of presenting a check for cashing to a check cashing agent (e.g., a bank teller); scanning or inspecting the check for data; selecting data for analysis; analyzing selected data with a commercial paper fraud detection system ("CPFDS"); and reporting results of the fraud detection system analysis to the check cashing agent. The commercial paper fraud detection system provides a means for predicting if commercial paper is potentially fraudulent. For example, the commercial paper fraud detection system may detect stolen checks, altered checks, and fabricated or counterfeit checks, among other types of fraud. Also provided is a computer program product for detecting fraud in commercial paper.