International Fraud Awareness Week: Quick Self-Assessment

Today we are sharing two quick, efficient resources to begin evaluating your organization's anti-fraud preparedness. Click on the images to be directed to downloadable versions provided by the ACFE for International Fraud Awareness Week.

1) The first is a Fraud Prevention Checklist. Briefly answer these questions to gauge your organization's current ability to prevent internal fraud.

The questions on this list should elicit and clear "yes or no" response from you

immediately. If "I'm not sure" is your answer, the answer is really "no".

For example, you'll see the second question asks, "Is an effective fraud reporting

mechanism in place?" If your response is not a resounding, confident YES, then the

answer is NO. If your organization does have a reporting mechanism, but not all

employees and officers can immediately identify it, your organization does not have an

EFFECTIVE reporting mechanism in place. According to the ACFE 2020 Report to the

Nations, 43% of occupational fraud cases were reported by tips. Establishing or

reinforcing the presence of a fraud reporting mechanism can greatly strengthen your

anti-fraud program.

2) The second resource communicates 5 Fraud Tips any organization can benefit from.

You can't create an entire Anti-Fraud Program or establish every internal control your

organization needs in one afternoon. But you can immediately participate in awareness

and education by deciding where to start. Observe these 5 beginning steps and decide

how to begin a healthy anti-fraud environment for your organization today.

As always, empowering small businesses to develop strong Anti-Fraud Programs is our mission. We provide consultations to design, evaluate, and improve your anti-fraud program. You can also get a step-by-step guide to design a program that can be tailored for your specific needs by purchasing Steve Dawson’s book, Internal Control/Anti-Fraud Program Design for the Small Business.

If you think there may already be fraudulent activity in your company, contact us today through our website.