A mortgage-fraud-fighting firm in Westlake Village is using a 30-minute training DVD to educate mortgage professionals, government agencies and the public about fraud schemes, while at the same time promoting their business.

Interthinx provides risk mitigation for the financial services industry. It's a resource for business firms and agencies that are interested in avoiding or minimizing fraudulent activity in the mortgage market.

It primarily serves mortgage bankers and brokers and has about 1,100 clients nationwide. Interthinx has about 100 employees, and has been headquartered at 30005 Ladyface Court in Westlake Village for the past year. It was formerly headquartered in Calabasas. Interthinx also has an office in St. Louis.

The firm offers services that help measure, manage and reduce risks. Its clients include businesses related to insurance, finance, real estate, health services, government and human resources.

The 30-minute video, produced and distributed by Interthinx, is titled "FSI: Fraud Scheme Investigation." It reflects the style of the popular television series "CSI," and dramatically demonstrates the characteristics and red flags of a complicated property- flipping-scam scheme. It took about a year to complete the video, and it has garnered 13 video-film achievement awards as a mortgage fraud detection training video.

"The "FSI" video is a direct result of concerned industry professionals who were committed to the delivery of a training tool that would not only capture the attention of today's mortgage banking people, but provide a battle cry to be heard beyond the mortgage industry," said Kevin Coop, Interthinx president.

At this point, more than 5,000 requests for the video have come in from mortgage lenders and brokers, police departments, the FBI, and the U.S. Department of Justice, according to Michael Zwerner, senior vice president of marketing and business development at Interthinx. When requested, the video is sent without charge.

The video content is a story by Emmy Award- winning writer Mary E. Harris.

It's loosely based on a real property-flipping scam, and is performed by a cast that includes professional actors and mortgage industry personnel.

It contains 25 individual chapters on topics that include different types of fraud schemes and fraudulent practices. Mortgage professionals from around the country participated as story consultants.

"The project cost us many thousands of dollars, but we feel it's well worth it considering its success-proven effectiveness as a viable training tool that will reduce fraud," Zwerner said.

For more information about the video, visit the special FSI Web site: www.fsimovie.com, or call Interthinx at 800-333-4510.

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In last Sunday's column, a profile piece about One Haute Cookie incorrectly stated that owner Cheryl Stern bakes cookies from her home. Stern bakes out of a commercial kitchen.

— Star columnist Jim Woodard, a Ventura resident, is a nationally syndicated newspaper columnist. Fax him at 644-0790 or e-mail him at Storyjim@aol.com.