Fraud Week News and Resources You May Have Missed

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AUTHOR’S POST

Mandy Moody
ACFE Social Media Specialist

The ACFE would like to say “thank you” to all of the International Fraud Awareness Week Official Supporters, supporting media, bloggers, tweeters and posters for your efforts this week. The activity on social media, blogs and in the press has been tremendous and something we can only hope to top next year.

Even with the many articles and resources shared, you may not have seen all that was done to spread the word about fraud detection and prevention. Here are some Fraud Week highlights you may have missed:

• Designing an Effective Anti-Fraud Program: PDF resource specifically designed to assist you in honing your fraud awareness messaging and ensuring the efficient use of anti-fraud training resources.
• Fraud of the Day: A daily commentary from LexisNexis on how fraud is perpetrated against government programs.
• Thomson Reuters White Papers: Download free white papers covering subjects like health care fraud, government fraud and money laundering. Read more at their blog, The Knowledge Effect.
• Cynthia Hetherington’s Four Tips on Minimizing the Impact of Fraud: The Hetherington Group reviews five steps businesses can take today to prevent fraud in the workplace. Bonus: Check out the five employee-monitoring controls. 
• Top 10 Reasons to Authenticate Your Suppliers: Your employees are not the only people who could steal from you. Learn why it is imperative to check out your vendors and suppliers.
• Six Ways to Reduce the Risk of Fraud and Errors While Managing Spreadsheet Content: With more data comes more risk for error. Heed these tips so you don’t end up on the wrong side of a spreadsheet fraud.

Did we miss any resources or highlights? Let us know! Email us at spatterson@acfe.com.

Until next year...

4 Checklists That Could Save Your Company Money

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AUTHOR’S POST

Mandy Moody
ACFE Social Media Specialist

It sounds counterintuitive to say, “Happy Fraud Week” to my coworkers every year around this time, but I have to admit that I genuinely get excited for a week dedicated to sharing content and resources that ultimately strengthen the fight against fraud. Less fraud; more education: This, in fact, does make me happy.

This week has brought a multitude of tremendous supporters - more than 700 - to the forefront of the fight. From South Africa to California, I have seen seminars, conferences, white papers and more cross my screen over the past few days. We have had more than half a million tweets about International Fraud Awareness Week, and it’s only Thursday.

In the spirit of collaboration, I wanted to share with you some of the valuable “top” lists that I have seen light up on my dashboard this week:

Find more resources, highlights and coverage at FraudWeek.com. Also, http://www.twitter.com/TheACFE and search for #FraudWeek for real-time updates.

An Olympic Event: ACFE European Fraud Conference Wraps Up in London

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GUEST BLOGGER

Allan Bachman, CFE
ACFE Education Manager

With 34 countries represented by the more than 200 attendees, the ACFE European Fraud Conference once again showed how truly successful an international meeting of anti-fraud professionals can be. Speakers from countries like Israel, Saudi Arabia, Belgium, Italy, Latvia and the Czech Republic delivered training and shared their professional expertise with an eager group.

The Conference kicked off with ACFE faculty member Cynthia Hetherington, CFE, who, in her unique style, brought the 21st century to the Old World. Her session on using social networks in fraud examinations was a huge success and left attendees wanting more. Using “live-fire” exercises with real-time social media interaction, she demonstrated ways to gather information about suspects and their likes, dislikes and interests without being detected. She clearly illustrated that what someone will not tell you to your face, they will broadcast to the world via social networks if you only know how to look for it.

ACFE President and CEO James D. Ratley, CFE, opened Monday in his inimitable style. His session on conducting internal investigations was the tip of the iceberg, but left attendees scribbling notes long after he had finished his session. His laid back approach and humor were refreshing to European attendees, and his tips on obtaining a confession even caught the attention of one attendee and his YouTube channel, The Fraud Tube (watch the video here).

The luncheon speaker, Carman Lapointe, CFE, CIA, CCSA, Under-Secretary-General of the Office of Internal Oversight Services at the United Nations, detailed her mission. Her attempt to recruit for some of her mission’s more dangerous assignments brought home the real personal risk to anti-fraud professionals.

The evening networking reception was well attended and a great respite from a long day of serious discussion. Well attended and a chance to make evening plans, these receptions are always a good opportunity to take it down a notch.

Tuesday opened with a keynote from Stephen Harrison, current head of the UK’s National Fraud Authority. Mr. Harrison was detailed in discussing their important strategic objectives, priorities and the NFIB’s (National Fraud Intelligence Bureau) efforts to coordinate fraud reporting and enforcement. The initiative has produced informational videos detailing their goals and tips on how to prevent fraud.

Once again the breakout session and closing panel were captivating and generously complimented. Luncheon speaker and author Nick Kochan was blunt in his assessment of the current state of money laundering, a subject about which he has written extensively.

Like all good things, this too had to come to an end. Mr. Ratley is off to Istanbul, the attendees are off to their respective home countries and I am left to begin to think about how to top this next year.

Want more? View photos from the 2012 ACFE European Fraud Conference on the ACFE's Facebook page.

ACFE Heads to London for European Fraud Conference

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AUTHOR'S POST

Mandy Moody
ACFE Social Media Specialist

The Summer Olympics will not be the only world-class event in London this year. The ACFE will bring to town a gathering of European anti-fraud professionals and world-renowned speakers at this year’s ACFE European Fraud Conference, March 25-27. From a Pre-Conference featuring the ever-changing world of social media to a Main Conference highlighting internal investigations, economic crime and the future of fraud, this year’s European Conference is a one-of-a-kind global event.

The keynote speakers present will be:

Stephen Harrison, Chief Executive, National Fraud Authority

Harrison is responsible to the Home Office for the development and delivery of 'Fighting Fraud Together,' the national fraud strategy via the work of the NFA and its partners, aiming to make the UK more resilient to, and less damaged by, fraud through an increased focus on prevention and disruption. Harrison will be presenting on how fraud-fighters from anywhere in the world can work to fight fraud together.

Carman L. Lapointe, CFE, CIA, CCSA, UN Under-Secretary-General, Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) 

Lapointe was appointed as Under-Secretary-General for Internal Oversight Services in September 2010. Lapointe was Auditor General of the World Bank Group from 2004-2009 and held chief oversight positions in IFAD and a number of Canadian crown corporations, including Canada Post, the Bank of Canada and EDC. You can find more about Lapointe’s keynote about the challenges of investigation in her recent interview with ACFE Insights.

Cynthia Hetherington, CFE, President, Hetherington Group

Hetherington has more than 17 years of experience in research, investigations and corporate intelligence. She is the founder of Hetherington Group, a consulting, publishing and training firm focusing on intelligence, security and investigations. Hetherington will be leading the Pre-Conference session, Effectively Using Social Networks and Social Media in Fraud Examinations.

James D. Ratley, CFE, President and CEO, ACFE

In 1986, James D. Ratley left the Dallas Police Department to join Wells & Associates, a forensic accounting practice, where he was in charge of fraud investigations. In 1988, he was named Program Director for the ACFE and oversaw all aspects of the ACFE's training and education programs. In 2006, Mr. Ratley was named president of the ACFE. Ratley will be beginning the Main Conference by addressing the importance of conducting a strong and successful internal investigation.

Read the complete speaker bios and find more information about the upcoming 2012 ACFE European Fraud Conference.

Closing the Case with Social Media: Learn How to Search Covertly Online

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AUTHOR'S POST

Mandy Moody

ACFE Social Media Specialist 

Some people come alive while steering a NASCAR or singing into a microphone. (Personally, I feel most comfortable sitting in front of a laptop posting and tweeting all day.) But for Cynthia Hetherington, president of Hetherington Group, the spotlight seems to shine brightest when she is teaching a crowded room of eager listeners how to navigate covertly through the elusive and ever-changing world of the Internet.

As one of the ACFE’s most popular faculty members, Hetherington uses examples from her own fraud investigations and years of online research to give CFEs and fraud examiners the vital tools needed to close the case on a fraudster by using social networks.

In her Pre-Conference session, “Effectively Using Social Networks and Social Media in Fraud Examinations,” Hetherington advised attendees on how to locate assets, uncover intelligence and find free resources for conducting due diligence and background investigations on the Internet - all effective ways to expose a fraudster online. She explained how to deconstruct a profile for an investigation and detailed safe ways to search social network profiles.

"You can use social networks and social media as a search tool," Hetherington said. "Use it as intelligence, not evidence, to help you profile a suspected fraudster."

Read the full article on FraudConference.com.