Can You Teach Ethical Behavior?

/
Can You Teach Ethical Behavior?

Ethics training is hardly a foreign concept to fraud examiners. Most organizations have some form of mandatory ethics training as a part of their compliance programs. But can you actually teach people to make ethical decisions? Or are these trainings only a formality?

 Mary Breslin, founder of Verracy Training and Consulting, explored this topic with attendees at the 30th Annual ACFE Global Fraud Conference on Tuesday. “How do we teach ethics in a way that people actualyl learn ethical decision-making skills?” she asked.

Read More

Yes, You Can Measure Integrity

/
Yes, You Can Measure Integrity

In their breakout session at the 30th Annual ACFE Global Fraud Conference, Vince Walden, partner, Jonathan Feig, partner, and Arpit Bothra, senior manager, all from the Forensic and Integrity Services unit at EY, laid out a roadmap for effectively measuring integrity within an organization. Feig emphasized at the beginning that this is a difficult task and it isn’t perfect, but he said, “we can’t let perfection get in the way of progress.”

Read More

Ethical Leadership: It’s Not As Easy As You Think

/
Ethical Leadership: It’s Not As Easy As You Think

When you think of leadership, what springs to mind? Is it authority? Confidence? Having a vision? Do you think leadership is something assigned to people? Or does it occur naturally? If you’re the leader of a team or department, you might want to stop thinking about your own thoughts and look outward.

“Everybody has their own definition of leadership,” said Bret Hood, retired FBI Special Agent and the director of 21st Century Learning & Consulting, in his Monday-morning session at the 30th Annual ACFE Global Fraud Conference. “Who’s definition most important? … The people you’re serving.”

Read More

Head of U.K. SFO: Diverse Teams Have Led to 3 Life Lessons

/
Head of U.K. SFO: Diverse Teams Have Led to 3 Life Lessons

“Fabulous teammates” have taught Lisa Osofsky, the new director of the U.K.’s Serious Fraud Office, three top lessons over the years: 1) Make a clear plan. 2) Listen. 3) Find the truth.

“I have worked with teams over time — teams that evolve because the nature of fraud changed with the flattening of the globe. I have learned from veteran investigators,” said Osofksy, the keynote speaker during today’s opening session. “I have learned from young and eager investigators new to the job. I have learned that two or three or four heads are better than one, especially when we’re unraveling fraud. Let me … try to distill what those teams have taught me.” Osofsky received the Dr. Donald R. Cressey Award for a lifetime of achievement in the detection and deterrence of fraud.

Read More

Getting Ahead of the Compliance Curve

/
Getting Ahead of the Compliance Curve

In an increasingly globalized economy, with various compliance requirements that apply not only to an organization, but it’s contractors and vendors as well, one way to stay ahead of fraud and corruption risks to satisfy those requirements involves proactive monitoring to ensure regulatory compliance. In two separate breakout sessions at the 29th Annual ACFE Global Fraud Conference delivered by Eric Feldman, senior vice president and managing director of Affiliated Monitors, Inc., he stressed that companies should take the first step in a proactive monitoring program by obtaining an independent assessment of their organization’s risks, practices or procedures and culture.

Read More

GDPR: A New Ethical Framework for Fraud Examiners

/
GDPR: A New Ethical Framework for Fraud Examiners

Most likely, you’ve heard the phrase “leaving a carbon footprint.” We know that traveling, consuming food and even breathing are all activities that release trace amounts of carbon into the atmosphere. The same idea is applicable to a person’s digital footprint. Your digital footprint is the virtual impression of activities you are involved in. Liking your friend’s post on Facebook, purchasing a pair of shoes online, tweeting about how much you loved this year’s #fraudconf — all of these activities are tracked and logged, and combined they are your digital footprint. This is what the GDPR is concerned with: protecting that data.

Read More