Many Cultures, One Purpose

GUEST BLOGGER

Bruce Dorris, J.D., CFE, CPA
ACFE VP and Program Director

Culturally, we are all very different. But for those of us who wake up every morning determined to decrease fraud worldwide, we are all on the same page. At times, I get so caught up in my own surroundings here in Austin that I forget about the vibrant and complex rest of the world happening just a few plane rides away. Recently, though, I was fortunate enough to lead an ACFE training in Asia, and while I was there I couldn’t help but reflect on the phrase we often toss around here: “Fraud truly knows no boundaries.”

In one particular country I visited, I spoke to one of our members working in the banking industry. He told me of a substantial fraud that took place in one of his company’s branches. Apparently, it was common for fraudsters to bring in “authentic” signatures on lending paperwork and for those documents to be accepted by the branch director without question.

What was unnerving to me was the laissez faire attitude about fraud as it related to those involved in the scheme. It was seen as accepted and part of the daily routine of doing business. Despite the adoption and enforcement of anti-fraud legislation around the globe, it is sad that there are still areas in which fraud is an accepted form of behavior. But, at the same time, it made me proud to be part of a 60,000-member worldwide team dedicated to making a change. 

I will be traveling to Asia again next month to help teach our popular CFE Exam Review Course for the first time in Singapore. We are excited to bring this course to the Asia-Pacific area not only to provide training for those seeking to become CFEs, but in a much larger sense, to increase fraud awareness and continue the mission of bringing about a paradigm shift in attitudes towards anti-fraud programs to those who have yet to fully embrace them.

Until next time…