plant operations worker hooking up two parts

5 Tips to Reduce Occupational Fraud

June 3, 2014
Globally, organizations lose 5% of revenues to internal theft.

Globally, organizations lose an estimated 5% of their annual revenues to occupational fraud, according to a survey of Certified Fraud Examiners.

Applied to the estimated 2013 Gross World Product, this figure translates to a potential total fraud loss of more than $3.5 trillion.

A report released by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners on June 3 suggested that companies take the follow steps to protect against the risk of fraud:

Implement a Fraud Hotline. Occupational fraud is far more likely to be detected by a tip than by any other method. More than 40% of all cases were detected by a tip – with the majority of them coming from employees of the victim organization. There are several providers of hotline services that can help implement an anonymous tip reporting system for businesses of all sizes and industries.

Be aware of red flag behaviors. More than 90% of fraud perpetrators in the study cases displayed certain common behavioral indicators. Among the most common red flags: living beyond one’s means (43.8%), having financial difficulties (33%), keeping an unusually close association with a vendor or customer (21.8%) and exhibiting control issues with an unwillingness to share duties (21.1%).

Don’t depend solely on external audits. External audits are implemented by a large number of organizations, but they are among the least effective controls in combating occupational fraud. Such audits were the primary detection method in just 3% of the fraud cases in the study. For perspective: 7% were detected by accident. A robust anti-fraud program with a reporting system for tips is needed for better protection.

Small business owner? Be vigilant. The smallest organizations in the ACFE study suffered disproportionally, with a median loss of $154,000 – higher than the overall median loss for fraud cases in the study ($145,000). These organizations typically employ fewer anti-fraud controls than their larger counterparts, which increases their vulnerability to fraud.

Focus on prevention, not recovery. The process of recovering the losses from a fraud can go on for years. At the time of the survey, however, most respondents (58%) noted that there had been “no recovery” of losses to date. By contrast, only 14% of victim organizations had made a full recovery during the same period. It is clearly more cost-effective to prevent fraud with proactive controls, rather than to hope to recover losses after the fact.

The 2014 Report to the Nations is available at: ACFE.com/RTTN

About the Author

Adrienne Selko | Senior Editor - MH&L, IW, & EHS Today

Adrienne Selko has written about many topics over the 17 years she has been with Endeavor Business Media and currently focuses on workforce development strategies. Previously Adrienne was in corporate communications at a medical manufacturing company as well as a large regional bank.

She is the author of Do I Have to Wear Garlic Around My Neck? which made the Cleveland Plain Dealer's best sellers list. She is a senior editor at Material Handling & Logistics, EHS Today, and IndustryWeek. 

Editorial Mission Statement:

Manufacturing is the enviable position of creating products, processes, and policies that solve the world’s problems. When the industry stepped up to manufacture what was necessary to combat the pandemic, it revealed its true nature. My goal is to showcase the sector’s ability to address a broad range of workforce issues including technology, training, diversity & inclusion, with a goal of enticing future generations to join this amazing sector.

Why I Find Manufacturing Interesting: 

On my first day working for a company that made medical equipment such as MRIs, I toured the plant floor. On every wall was a photo of a person, mostly children. I asked my supervisor why this was the case and he said that the work we do at this company has saved these people’s lives. “We never forget how important our work is and everyone’s contribution to that.” From that moment on I was hooked on manufacturing.

I have talked with many people in this field who have transformed their own career development to assist others. For example, companies are hiring those with disabilities, those previously incarcerated, and other talent pools that have been underutilized. I have talked with leaders who have brought out the best in their workforce, as well as employees doing their best work while doing good for the world.