Internal Fraud Investigations & Control Conference 2014
Bangalore, India 2014
Sketching the mental framework and physical appearance of a fraudster
• How a criminal mind's work – delving into a devil's mind
• Certain characteristics and behavioral patterns of a corrupt employee
• An overall personality analysis of a fraudster
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GENERAL FRAUDSTER PROFILE
• Profile: 68.6%
– no prior criminal record,
– Aged 26-40 years old,
– Annual income between RM15k-RM30k,
– 2-5 yrs of service
• Struggling financially or large purchases
– difficult time in their lives
– gets out of hand
• Merger and acquisition or reorganization activity.
– ‘I don’t have a career here’ attitude.
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Possible General Root Causes
for Fraud Mindset
1. "Everyone does it.“
1. Indiscipline employees commonly organize
themselves in cliques or clusters - the inner circle
2. Rarely does a repeat offender not involve an
accomplice or at least a confidant.
3. “If my superior can come to work late and still be
promoted, it means I can steal RM10. Both are
indiscipline cases anyway.”
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Possible General Root Causes
for Fraud Mindset
1. “It was small potatoes.“
1. “What's a RM30 stolen calculator to a company that
makes millions each year or to a boss who drives a
Mercedes?
2. “Zero Tolerance Policy” for identified disciplinary
cases in any form or for any amount?
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Possible General Root Causes
for Fraud Mindset
1. "They had it coming." – the revenge syndrome
1. “The accounts department cuts down my lead time
to submit my claims yet take 60 days to
compensate my claims. So I purposely come late to
work to compensate.”
2. “The company keeps cutting down our benefits and
allowances but keep asking us to produce more. So
I compensate by being calculative with the company
even for one sen.”
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Possible General Root Causes
for Fraud Mindset
1. "I had it coming." – the equity syndrome
1. Under-compensated or unrecognized -> self-
devised "bonus" plan.
2. Employee has been turned down for a raise or
promotion; after a company-wide salary freeze has
been established; during periods of company
turmoil (restructuring, takeover, new management,
etc.).
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Dangers of Direct Incentives
1. lessen internal motivation,
2. switch to mercenary mode,
3. do something and do not do something else,
4. bribe and fraud culture,
5. easier for competitors to recruit,
6. lessen teamwork & helpful culture,
7. less and less impact for same value,
8. mockery of base salary and employment contract,
9. rebellion from non-incentivised staff,
10. end up incentivising everyone for everything?,
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SPECIFIC STRATEGIES AND
POLICIES
• C1. Theft and Fraud – Root Causes
– Profile: 68.6% - no prior criminal record,
Aged 26-40 years old, Annual income
between RM15k-RM30k, 2-5 yrs of service
– Struggling financially or large purchases
• difficult time in their lives
• gets out of hand
– Merger and acquisition or reorganization
activity.
• ‘I don’t have a career here’ attitude.
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*ICT Security and Fraud (1/3)
Biggest ICT risks
1. Security – All matters relating to the ‘coming-in’
and ‘going-out’ of all systems and information
2. Backup - including Storage of critical and non-
critical information and Disaster Recovery
3. Continuity – Availability of systems and
information at a 24x7x365 standard
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Mistakes and Lessons
Learned
1. Price to Pay for Fraud/Risk Mitigation =>
Business Flexibility
2. Control vs. Growth
3. Rules vs. Humanity/Motivation
4. Not tackling the root cause i.e. Motive +
Opportunity i.e. Humans
5. Focus on F&A vs. Sales/Marketing => who has
control?
6. Relationship Role vs. Enforcement Role
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In the end…
• Great Wall of China
– humans are the weakest link
– bad treatment of staff will lead to weak link i.e.
easier to bribe, easier to con, etc;
– bad treatment examples: insulting, lose face,
broken promises, no dignity, public criticism,
restructure without communication
55. Thank You.
soft copy of slides:
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Hinweis der Redaktion
Refer to Handout 1: Possible General Root Causes for Fraud
Refer to Handout 1: Possible General Root Causes for Fraud
Refer to Handout 1: Possible General Root Causes for Fraud
Refer to Handout 1: Possible General Root Causes for Fraud
Refer to Handout 1: Possible General Root Causes for Fraud
This looks better right? But… also still not good enough, right?
Refer to Handout 4:
1. Priority, Targets and Standards
Refer to Handout 1: Possible General Root Causes for Fraud
Actions and Behaviors under “Zero Tolerance”:
theft and fraud**
violation of confidentiality or security of company information**
possessing or consuming non-prescribed narcotics on company property
reporting to work intoxicated/impaired
instigating a fight on company property
carrying a weapon on company property
intentional harassment, including racial, religious, or sexual harassment
directly or indirectly inciting racial or religious issues
act of violence toward superior, an employee or customer
physically threaten or abuse superior, an employee or distributor
misrepresentation of important facts in seeking employment
tampering or forging company information and property
sabotage or intentionally harming the company
Conflict of interest
General Treatment for “Zero Tolerance”
These are behaviors that are commonly excluded from a progressive discipline approach and that subject the employee to either immediate Domestic Inquiry (D.I.) or criminal prosecution. (upon professional legal advice)
There should also be publication and circulation of the “Zero Tolerance” Handout for all employees.
Refer to Handout 2: General Strategies And Policies
is important.
Here are some ways to for leaders to create a better working environment:
Educate our core employees all about the business so they understand their impact on its day-to-day success.
Involve employees in important decisions relating to work processes and customer satisfaction.
Teach core workers the skills that are traditionally reserved for managers. This helps them learn to make better decisions and support business objectives.
Identify and eliminate obstacles to employee commitment. These can include giving managers too much status or privilege, micromanaging and restricting employees’ access to information.