Internal controls should be designed to safeguard assets and help prevent or detect losses from employee dishonesty or error; the owner’s involvement in a small organization is important in maintaining good internal controls. One area of focus should be segregation of duties, which largely means having different people responsible for authorizing transactions or contracts, recording …
Most people have something they enjoy shopping for. And when it comes time to pay for the item, what’s the best part? Paying the sales tax of course! Okay okay, maybe that’s not the best part. If you’re anything like me, you pay it because you have to, not because you want to. And then …
We’ve all heard about IQ, as the measurement has followed us through school and in pursuing careers. However, what about EQ? Emotional Intelligence matters both in the workplace and in interaction with the public. So, what is it? Emotional intelligence is “the capacity to be aware of, control and express one’s emotions, and to handle …
Recently the Federal Trade Commission put out an alert on phone spear phishing and caller ID spoofing scams that are on the rise among consumers and companies. I imagine you experience the same relentless calls from phone numbers you don’t recognize as I do every day on my personal devices. Usually I just ignore and …
I recently read an article about fraud within the Massachusetts State Police (MSP). The author, a former MSP trooper, outlined an investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office. The investigation involves a minimum of 46 troopers with the allegations including payroll fraud and conspiracy, among other federal violations. …
If you filed for an extension on your taxes, you’re probably finalizing all your information for the October 15 deadline. But those last-minute details aren’t the only thing you need to be concerned with. The IRS is warning taxpayers that criminals are still after your personal information and money. Scams are on the upswing right …
Several years ago, I wrote about the Fraud Triangle. A recent case I read about shows once again how relevant it is. In 1973, Donald Cressey published the results of his research on embezzlement in Other People’s Money: A Study in the Social Psychology of Embezzlement. Mr. Cressey’s hypothesis has become known to many as …
Netflix recently released a documentary called “All the Queen’s Horses.” It details the story of Rita Crundwell, the perpetrator of the largest case of municipal fraud in American history. As the City Comptroller and Treasurer for Dixon, Illinois, Rita Crundwell embezzled more than $53 million of public funds over a 20-year period. The stolen funds …
When I received the August 21 Consumer Alert from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) via email, I was amazed to find out that the FTC was forwarding instructions on, “How to avoid a Bitcoin blackmail scam.” Had the FTC had found a way to make us always behave in an appropriate manner? Or maybe they …
We hear the term forensic all the time, and it holds a special place in pop culture thanks to TV shows like the fictional CSI and the “real-life” Forensic Files. The news also inundates us with stories about legal proceedings involving forensic accountants, psychiatrists, pathologists, toxicologists and others. However, when pressed, most people don’t really …