Think that fraud does not happen in your organization. This week the
Washington Post reported another fraud in D.C. This one was a District social services worker accused of benefits fraud. Complicated scheme? Not really. She created false identities and allegedly stole more the $700,000 in cash, food stamps and health benefits. The fraud took place over a 2 year period from 2011 to 2013. The individual was not a recent hire but rather had been working at the agency since 2005. This supports the fact that most frauds are perpetrated by trusted employees who have been with the organization for quite some time. What perhaps sets this apart from other frauds is that she was stealing and diverting funds that would otherwise be going to individuals who truly need the help.
AuditNet has partnered with
FraudResourceNet to provide Web based training for detecting and preventing occupational fraud. Fraud schemes fall into specific categories and patterns and the types of frauds occur frequently in all types of organizations. If you would like more information on how to communicate with your employees on how to be fraud aware, then contact us. We need to take the theme of if you see something say something and apply it to the workplace to detect and prevent the flood of fraud taking place on a daily basis.
Jim Kaplan