The Small Business Fraud Prevention Manual

"Small business owners and managers cannot afford losses due to fraud, yet many of these types of businesses are the most common victims. The ACFE's Small Business Fraud Prevention Manual provides information on the most common internal and external fraud schemes committed by customers, employees and vendors against small businesses as well as tips on how to prevent these schemes from happening to you." -- Back cover.

A how-to guide to small business anti-fraud protection and internal control Internal Control/Anti-Fraud Program Design for the Small Business is a practical guide to protection for businesses NOT subject to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Written by an expert with three decades of forensic investigation experience, this book is geared specifically toward private, non-public small businesses and their unique needs in the realm of fraud protection. Covering all elements of an internal control structure applicable to the small business community, this guide provides a step-by-step roadmap for designing and implementing an effective, efficient internal control structure/anti-fraud program tailored to your business's particular needs. Case studies are used throughout to illustrate internal control weaknesses and the fraud that can result, and follow-up analysis describes the controls that would have reduced the probability of fraud had they been in place. You'll learn how to analyze your company's internal control issues, and implement a robust system for fraud prevention. Guidance toward Sarbanes-Oxley compliance is readily available, but there is little information available for the many businesses not subject to the act —until now. This book is the step-by-step guide for instituting an internal control program tailored to your small business. Understand the five elements of internal control Avoid gaps in protection with relevant controls Design the ultimate anti-fraud program Implement internal control tailored to your needs The majority of small business owners simply do not know the elements of or implementation process involved in internal control, and Sarbanes-Oxley guidelines don't necessarily scale down. Internal Control/Anti-Fraud Program Design for the Small Business helps you design and install the internal control/anti-fraud protection your business needs.

Everyone is affected by credit card fraud, if they are aware of it or not. Every day there are a variety of ways that scams and fraudsters can get your card and personal information. Today so much business occurs over the Internet or via the phone where no card is present. What can start as a seemingly legitimate purchase can easily turn into fraudulent charges – or worse, sometimes a physical confrontation, when a criminal steals a credit card from a consumer who meets to pick up a product or receive a service. In Preventing Credit Card Fraud, Jen Grondahl Lee and Gini Graham Scott provide a helpful guide to protecting yourself against the threat of credit card fraud. While it may not be possible to protect yourself against all fraudsters, who have turned scamming Internet businesses into an art, these tips and techniques will help you avoid many frauds. As a growing concern in today’s world, there is a need to be better informed of what you can do to keep your personal information secure and avoid becoming a victim of credit card fraud. Preventing Credit Card Fraud is an important resource for both merchants and consumers engaged in online purchases and sales to defend themselves against fraud.

INCREASE THE LIFE SPAN OF YOUR SMALL BUSINESS The average small business has a life span of about five years, and inadequate internal controls are the main cause of failure. Cyber fraud, the leading culprit today in internal criminal activity, occurs when advanced technologies are used to steal money or property. The majority of such crimes occur in-house, and the lack of sufficient capital and technological resources committed to protecting company assets makes small businesses especially vulnerable. Awareness of the dangers of internal theft by computer, illegal access to information systems, credit card fraud, and Internet scams is integral-especially as auditors, business owners, and managers are increasingly held responsible for negligence. Providing critical guidance on what auditors and businesses can do to better prevent and detect the growing number of occurrences of cyber fraud, the information in this one-of-a-kind manual: * Protects outside auditors by supplying the knowledge to ensure they meet their responsibilities * Protects small business owners by providing them with the necessary tools to meet due diligence requirements in cyber fraud prevention * Focuses on the key areas of vulnerability Take the first step in protecting your company-and your future-with Avoiding Cyber Fraud in Small Businesses, the only book committed to helping you keep your small business free of computer crime.

The Canadian edition of The Little Black Book of Scams is a compact and easy to use reference guide filled with information Canadians can use to protect themselves against a variety of common scams. It debunks common myths about scams, provides contact information for reporting a scam to the correct authority, and offers a step-by-step guide for scam victims to reduce their losses and avoid becoming repeat victims. Consumers and businesses can consult The Little Black Book of Scams to avoid falling victim to social media and mobile phone scams, fake charities and lotteries, dating and romance scams, and many other schemes used to defraud Canadians of their money and personal information.

All organisations are affected by fraud, but disproportionately so for SMEs given their size and vulnerability. Some small businesses that have failed to manage business fraud effectively have not only suffered financially but also have not survived. This book provides a guide for SMEs to understand the current sources of business fraud risk and the specific risk response actions that can be taken to limit exposure, through the structured discipline of enterprise risk management. The book provides: A single-source reference: a description of all of the common fraud types SMEs are facing in one location. An overview of enterprise risk management: a tool to tackle fraud (as recommended by the Metropolitan Police Service and many other government-sponsored organisations). Illustrations of fraud events: diagrams/figures (where appropriate) of how frauds are carried out. Case studies: case studies of the fraud types described (to bring the subject to life and illustrate fraud events and their perpetrators) enabling readers to be more knowledgeable about the threats. Sources of support and information: a description of the relationship between the government agencies and departments. What to do: ‘specific actions’ to be implemented as opposed to just recommending the preparation of policies and processes that may just gather dust on a shelf. The book gives SMEs a much better understanding of the risks they face and hence informs any discussion about the services required, what should be addressed first, in what order should remaining requirements be implemented and what will give the best value for money.

Fraud is nothing new to the merchant. Since the beginning of time, man has always looked for the opportunity to defraud others - to gain goods or services without making payment. For the credit card industry, fraud is a part of doing business, and is something that is always a challenge. The merchants that are the best at preventing fraud are the ones that can adapt to change quickly. This book is written to provide information about how to prevent credit card fraud in the card-not-present space (mail order, telephone order, e-commerce). This book is meant to be an introduction to combating fraud, providing the basic concepts around credit card payment, the ways fraud is perpetrated, along with write ups that define and provide best practices on the use of 32 fraud-prevention techniques. 32 Detailed Fraud Prevention Techniques How to catch the Chameleon on the web Top 10 rules to prevent credit card fraud Understand common fraud schemes The one Fraud Prevention Technique no merchant can afford not to do Details on over 40 Vendors that sell fraud prevention tools and services, along with how to build it in-house Learn the anatomy of a Fraud Prevention Strategy

"If you don't think that some employees have figured out ingenious ways to steal from businesses, read this book. The real-life examples will change your mind." Joseph T. Wells, CFE, CPA, founder and Chairman, Association of Certified Fraud Examiners "An easy-to-read, but comprehensive step-by-step approach that covers every potential area for employee fraud and embezzlement. Great checklists at the end of each chapter show what steps to put into place for controls and protection. Includes real-life examples that really 'bring the story home.' " Jean L. Conover, CPA, past CEO/CFO, Jefferson Radiology PC "This book is a must-read for seasoned entrepreneurs as well as those considering entering their own business venture. While developed for small business, the risk detection and prevention methodologies presented by Mr. Pedneault are universal to all businesses. The concise checklists provide ready guidance for establishing a complete system of controls." Denise H. Armstrong, CPA, Chief Financial Officer, Sea Research Foundation, Inc. d/b/a Mystic Aquarium and Institute for Exploration "This book is a must for every individual owning their own business. Mr. Pedneault clearly articulates the fraud risks that occur in each business system. In the book, he offers practical advice for internal controls and illustrates the risks with real-life examples." Leonard W. Vona, President, Fraud Auditing, Inc.