What's New

New resources have been added, including a link to "Fraud of the Day," presented by LexisNexis (dedicated to the prevention and detection of government fraud) and the ACFE's new "Designing an Effective Anti-Fraud Training Program." Don't miss the full list of Fraud Week resources here.

2012 Fraud Week Highlights

Thomson-Reuters has provided several white papers for download free of charge, covering subjects including healthcare fraud, government fraud and money laundering. Read more at their blog, "The Knowledge Effect." Thomson-Reuters is also giving away three free ACFE memberships on Twitter in honor of Fraud Week, and hosted a money laundering webinar on Monday.

Franklin University, National White Collar Crime Center, Ohio Ethics Commission, Ohio Inspector General, and Ohio Investigators Association collaborated to present a two-day training conference: Targeting Fraud – Safeguarding Integrity (see photo above). The inaugural conference attracted over 100 attendees and is slated to be held again next year.

Conference committee members pictured from left: Julie Korte, Ohio Ethics Commission; Randall Meyer, Ohio Inspector General; Phillip Pishitelli, Office of the Ohio Inspector General; Edward Waters, President of the Ohio Investigators Association; Susan Willeke, Ohio Ethics Commission; Faith Ottavi, Ohio Investigators Association; & Dr. Thomas Hrubec, Franklin University. Not pictured: James Foley & Kim Williams of the National White Collar Crime Center and Dr. Karen Miner-Romanoff of Franklin University.

Fraud of the Day (presented by LexisNexis) hosted a liver Twitter chat with tips on preventing ID theft and other fraud.

Cynthia Hetherington provides Tips on Minimizing the Impact of Fraud: five steps businesses can take today to prevent fraud in the workplace.

Anti-fraud consultant Bob Hurt presented a free webinar, "Fraud Prevention for Small Business," on Thursday, Nov. 15.

The ACFE has posted a two-part Fraud Talk podcast created especially for Fraud Week: an in-depth look at the Report to the Nations on Occupational Fraud and Abuse.

The following are some of the highlights from ACFE chapters who participated in Fraud Week:

Utah

Governor Governor Gary R. Herbert declared Nov 11-17, 2012 International Fraud Awareness Week in Utah. The ACFE- Utah Chapter and Exactech Forensics LLC held a special Luncheon meeting to celebrate the declaration and announce the beginnning of International Fraud Awareness Week.

Heartland

Governor Dave Heineman signed a proclamation declaring Nov. 11-17 International Fraud Awareness Week in Nebraska:

Pictured from left: Tom Spain, CFE (Heartland ACFE Member, BCBSNE – Special Investigations Manager), Charles Starr
(NE Insurance Frauds Bureau -- Bureau Chief), Rachel Milligan (Heartland ACFE Secretary, BCBSNE – Special Investigator), Patricia Carter (Heartland ACFE Member, Douglas County Treasurers Office), Governor Dave Heineman (Nebraska), Susan Rainey Biler (Heartland ACFE Board Member, BCBSNE – Special Investigations Administrator), Kimberly Butler (Heartland ACFE President, Boystown - Internal Audit), Eric Rodriguez (Heartland ACFE Vice President, Nelnet – Enterprise Risk Manager).

South Africa
The chapter used Fraud Week to encourage business leaders and employees to proactively take steps to reduce the impact of fraud by promoting anti-fraud awareness and education. Organizations such as JGL Forensics, PWC, the Department of National Treasury, regional Provincial Treasury departments, ABSA Bank, FNB, Vodacom and the University of the Free State Business School all collaborated with the chapter to hold events in several South African cities.

Tanzania
As one of the newest ACFE chapters, the Tanzania chapter held an event promoting fraud awareness training and education. Read the press release.

Houston
The Houston chapter recognized Fraud Week by featuring the Honorable Judge Gregg Costa at a luncheon meeting. Costa compared the fraud schemes of Charles Ponzi and Allen Sanford. The event drew more than 100 attendees.

Philippines
The chapter took advantage of Fraud Week to hold training sessions on topics such as: Fraud-Related Provisions of the New Cyber Crime Law; Implementing an Effective Anonymous Hotline; Digital Forensics; and Interviewing Tips.

Austin
Chapter board member Joe Collins, CFE, spoke to the Cedar Park Chamber of Commerce on steps businesses can take to prevent fraud losses.

Brisbane
The Brisbane chapter joined forces with local organizations to host a luncheon promoting Fraud Week. The meeting gave attendees insight into emerging issues and current trends in fraud. See what the Brisbane chapter did.

Uganda
Chapter leaders provided free presentations to interested organizations in their effort to spread fraud awareness.

Fraud Week in the News

The latest in Fraud Week coverage in the media:

• Cincinnati.com: "Be Proactive Against Fraud"

• The FINANCIAL: "Business: Take These Five Steps to Combat Fraud"

• AccountingWeb: "International Fraud Awareness Week."

• A nicely-presented article by Sheer Investigations, "Why Should You Care About International Fraud Awareness Week?"

• From the Long Beach, Cali, Gazette: "ANOTHER VIEW: Auditor Asks Help in Fraud Fight."

The following is just a sampling of media coverage from last year's International Fraud Awareness Week:

• The Wall Street Journal's "Q/A: Pam Verick On International Fraud Awareness." Verick is director and solution leader of fraud risk management for Protiviti, an Official Supporter of Fraud Week.

• Lifehacker article, "How to Protect Yourself from Online Fraud and Identity Theft," uses Fraud Week as an opportunity to present tips and red flags for fraud.

• Consumer Reports informs readers with "International Fraud Awareness Week: Know These 7 Red Flags for Fraud."

• NBC News in South Dakota presents a three-part series on Fraud Week, beginning with "Fraud, it's Looking for Your Business."

Late night talk show hosts seem to love International Fraud Awareness Week. In 2010, it was Jay Leno who mentioned Fraud Week in his monologue. And last year, Jimmy Fallon said: "You guys, next week is International Fraud Awareness Week... I fooled you, it's actually this week." Maybe he should let us write the joke next year! But in all seriousness, it is great that people are taking notice of this critical awareness campaign.

Become an Official Supporter of Fraud Awareness Week
By signing up to become an official supporter you will receive recognition on our site, a sample press release to communicate your organization's involvement in Fraud Awareness Week, and other exclusive anti-fraud resources.