Mingling in the New Millennium

AUTHOR'S POST

Mandy Moody
ACFE Social Media Specialist

When Eric Feldman, CFE, decided to retire from the federal government and begin his own ethics and compliance consulting firm, Core Integrity Group, in 2010, his son, Josh, said, "Dad, you gotta get on LinkedIn." Josh, 26, is the chief of technology for an Internet media company in Beverly Hills, Calif. 

Feldman, a self-proclaimed "technophobe," cautiously created a user account on LinkedIn listing his past work experience, his contact information and his new company's website address. After testing the social media waters, he then decided to take the plunge and extend invitations to connect with other known professionals, joined several relevant discussion groups and even began to prospect for new clients.

"I went on LinkedIn and pretty much started from scratch," Feldman said. "I now use it as the primary base for my introductory marketing. I send out emails to people I connect with, and it has resulted in more and more networking. It is fabulous for making contacts."

All fraud fighters - independent business owners; staffers at middle-management companies, nonprofit and government agencies; and CFOs and CEOs - benefit from social media.

LINKEDIN: A GOOD ENTRYWAY

Dubbed the "world's largest professional network," LinkedIn boasts more than 100 million members from more than 200 countries. Executives from all the Fortune 500 companies are represented, and there are more than 500 discussion groups related to fraud prevention, money laundering, compliance and ethics, and more. Users can network, prospect, market and expand their professional networks from their desks (or their living rooms, as LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman did when he launched the site in 2002).

Read the full article in Fraud Magazine here.