Top 10 Blog Posts of 2020
/
ACFE STAFF
Throughout 2020, we published 104 posts on ACFE Insights and 25 guest authors contributed their expertise. As you can see from the list of our top 10 posts below, ACFE Insights has been here to help anti-fraud professionals navigate the new and unexpected terrain of COVID-19 while also covering foundational anti-fraud knowledge.
This year, ACFE Insights has seen a substantial growth in readership with more than 135,000 visitors.
Contributors, please accept our heartfelt thanks for being so generous with your knowledge. Readers, thank you so much for coming to the site to read, discuss and share posts from ACFE Insights this year.
If you missed anything from the top 10 blog posts of 2020, it’s time to kick your feet up and read these popular posts.
1. Top 4 Internal Controls That Reduce Fraud Losses
Proactive anti-fraud controls play a key role in an organization’s fight against fraud. The ACFE’s 2020 Report to the Nations not only identifies the top anti-fraud controls that can help protect organizations, but also illustrates what can happen when controls are weak or altogether missing.
2. 5 Tips to Help You Pass the CFE Exam
Sometimes the hardest part of achieving a goal is simply getting started. Anjum Madam speaks from experience. A year and a half ago, she participated in the 90-Day CFE Exam Challenge. Before she started the challenge, the idea of studying all of that material and passing the exam in three months felt way too daunting. But after going through it, she learned it’s entirely possible. Here are her tips to help you attain your CFE in 2021.
3. Free and Affordable Ways to Earn CPE Virtually
Questions. We all have so many questions right now. When will the pandemic be over? How can I keep moving when it feels like the world is telling me to stand still? What does the future hold? While we can’t answer any of these questions for you, we can answer a question we have frequently received at the ACFE: What are some easy ways for me to get my CPE while social distancing?
This post shares some of the ways you can earn CPE remotely at an affordable cost, or even for free.
4. 90% of Anti-Fraud Professionals Have Seen an Increase in Consumer Scams Due to COVID-19
Earlier this year, in a survey we conducted about the effect COVID-19 has on fraud, 90% of respondents reported that they saw an increase in scams targeting consumers, with 51% believing the increase has been by a significant amount. This post provides a snapshot of what happened soon after the pandemic became a worldwide phenomenon.
5. The Importance of Fraud Risk Management in Times of Coronavirus
When COVID-19 hit, many financial institution designed initiatives to provide customers greater access to cash and to cushion against any financial difficulty resulting from the virus. The goal was to understand each customer's situation and offer options to help them manage their finances. Here’s how fraud risk management can help to prevent fraudsters from using the current environment to their own malicious advantage.
6. Coronavirus Pandemic Is a Perfect Storm for Fraud
The COVID-19 pandemic is unprecedented in many ways for our lifetime. We are seeing its impact on individual lives, governments and the global economy. While cities and countries are scrambling to contain the virus and protect their citizens, they are also watching global markets decline at a breakneck speed. In this post, Bruce Dorris, president and CEO of the ACFE, shares insights on how the pandemic’s effect on the economy could have a number of long-lasting implications.
7. 7 Things Fraud Examiners Can Do While Staying at Home
The spread of COVID-19 transformed the everyday lives of millions of people. For the vast majority of us, we’ve found ourselves navigating the challenges that come with working from home. While it can feel nice to lounge in pajamas while working, the change in routine can also carry significant stressors. As a way to combat the trials of quarantine, we’d like to offer some anti-fraud-related activities that you can enjoy virtually with friends or family to enliven your days as we work to combat the spread of coronavirus and fraud.
8. 7 Warning Signs That May Indicate Fraud Within Your Company
According to the ACFE’s 2020 Report to the Nations, organizations with less than 100 employees suffered larger median losses than those of larger companies. In other words, fraud can happen at any organization, no matter the size, so it’s important to understand the warning signs.
So, what are the warning signs to look out for?
9. FBI Warns of Increase in Mobile Banking Fraud
The use of mobile banking apps has increased dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the FBI, mobile banking has surged 50% since the beginning of 2020. This increase illustrates that stay-at-home orders, temporary business closures and COVID-19 fears have accelerated the use of mobile banking among a large portion of the population. As fraud examiners know, new technologies create new opportunities for fraud. Here’s what you should look out for.
10. 5 Actions to Take for Proactive Fraud Risk Management During a Crisis
There were different responses to the pandemic from both government and private organizations across the world. Not a lot of people foresaw such an event occurring nor did they have this in their yearly forecasts and budgets — that work would be restricted, stay-at-home orders would be enforced and nonessential services would take a back seat. Here are five tangible actions your organization can take to continue proactive fraud risk management during a crisis.
ACFE Insights is always looking for guest bloggers to submit posts on the latest anti-fraud trends and topics. As you can hopefully see from our top 10 posts, we publish — and our site visitors read — a wide variety of topics. If you’re interested in writing for ACFE Insights, please check out our submission guidelines below. We look forward to hearing from you in 2021!
