Fraud Awareness Week 2018

It’s Fraud Week, everyone!

For the week of November 11 – 17, supporters around the globe are promoting anti-fraud awareness and education to minimize the impact of fraud.

There’s a lot of information and resources out there, but what is imperative to know about fraud, how to detect it and what to do if there is fraud happening? We’ve done a series of videos on this topic, as well as published articles and informative pieces, but here are five key things to always keep in mind:

1. Small- and medium-sized businesses are particularly at risk, and what makes them susceptible is the struggle with having enough resources (cash, time, and/or expertise) to have traditional controls and segregation of duties. For more details, click HERE.
2. Some common indicators of employee fraud include: overly close relationship with suppliers, vendors or customers; destruction of files without proper authorization, resistance to providing information to auditors; and much more. For more details to see if your company is a victim of fraud, click HERE.
3. The hotline is the number one way for tips to be reported, and that is the number one method of detecting fraud. Having a hotline reduces the median loss for profit by about half. For more details, click HERE to watch this episode of Entrepreneur’s Playbook.
4. One of the first steps to take when you detect fraud is, assuming you’re in the position to be the head of the company, you need to call your attorney first. Getting the attorney involved on the front end can help prevent missteps through the investigation process, which you can accidentally do illegal things as you investigate the fraud. For more details, click HERE to watch this episode of Entrepreneur’s Playbook.
5. One of the most effective methodologies to reduce the risk of fraud, according to the ACFE, is having a proactive data monitoring process. That reduces your risk of median amount of loss, as well as the duration of the loss by over 50%. For more details, click HERE to watch this episode of Entrepreneur’s Playbook.

Stay committed to not commit fraud!

For more information, visit PKFTexas.com or contact me at dcheek@pkftexas.com.

This blog post contains general information only. Pannell Kerr Forster of Texas, P.C. (PKF Texas) is not rendering accounting, business, financial, investment, legal, tax or other professional advice or services. This blog post is not a substitute for such professional advice or services, nor should it be used as a basis for any decision or action that may affect your business. Before making any decision or taking any action that may affect your business, you should consult a qualified professional advisor. The views expressed are mine and mine alone and do not represent the views of PKF Texas. PKF Texas is not be responsible for any loss sustained by any person who relies on this blog post.