Fraud is continuing to increase this year, in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new survey by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.
The report found that 79 percent of anti-fraud professionals have seen an increase in the overall level of fraud as of November, compared to 77 percent in August and 68 percent in May. Thirty-eight percent of the respondents said in November the increase has been significant, compared to 34 percent in August and 25 percent in May.
Koonce is the Chief Claims Officer, for Sedgwick. In this role, Koonce is responsible for product development and innovation, industry analysis and thought leadership, best practices and compliance standards, legislative and regulatory relationships, and continued involvement in client programs for Sedgwick's lines of business.
Prior to his current role, Koonce was the Managing Director responsible for Sedgwick's casualty retail business unit in which he oversaw program results and service execution across the company's retail customer base. This included use of innovation and technology to improve client outcomes and customer experience.
Prior to joining Sedgwick, Koonce was senior director of risk management for Walmart Stores, Inc., the nation's largest private sector employer. In this role, he managed the retailer's domestic property and casualty claims program. He simultaneously served as president of Claims Management, Inc., Walmart's wholly owned third party administrator.
David Schwartz is the president and CEO of the Financial International Business
Association, or FIBA, where he promotes growth and advancement in international
banking and finance through education, advocacy and networking. With extensive
experience in international banking and compliance, David has held leadership roles at
institutions like Regions Financial Corporation and Banque Sudameris. Fluent in
multiple languages, he holds a Juris Doctorate from New York Law School and a black
belt in Shuri-Ryu Karate. He also serves on various community boards and actively
contributes to educational and health organizations in South Florida.
Matt Gilbert is VP, employer brand strategy at Appcast, the leading recruitment marketing platform powered by programmatic. With nearly 20 years of industry experience in employer brand, EVP and recruitment marketing. Matt is a recognized thought leader, industry speaker, and innovator, having developed and activated over 350 employer brand programs since entering the field. He and his teams have earned numerous industry awards in employer branding and other B2C areas. Matt is a sought-after employer brand expert and has worked with numerous notable organizations in employer brand such as Expedia Group, Disney Cruise Line, PepsiCo, Nike, Tyson Foods, Carmax, Pfizer, Aramco, Lockheed Martin, HCA, Conagra, Gallo Winery, Hanes Brands, American Red Cross, the ASPCA, Condé Nast, Amtrak, JPMorganChase, PayPal and more.
Cyber fraud, payment fraud (such as schemes with debit and credit cards) and identity theft are the three top fraud schemes seeing increases, according to anti-fraud professionals.
The largest increase in observed fraud was in financial statement fraud, with 7 percent more anti-fraud professionals reported seeing financial statement fraud in November, compared to August. That could be because as companies continue to see their profits drop, they feel more pressure to cook the books.
The survey also found 77 percent of anti-fraud professionals report that investigating and preventing fraud is more challenging now, while 71 percent said detecting fraud is more challenging as a result of the pandemic.
ACFE members anticipate the fraud trend will continue, even as vaccines have begun rolling out this week in the U.S. Ninety percent of the survey respondents expect a further increase in the level of fraud over the next 12 months, with 44 percent predicting the change is likely to be significant.
Nearly half (48 percent) of the organizations polled expect to increase their investments in anti-fraud technology, and 38 percent intend to raise the use of fraud-related consultants or other external resources. Budgets for anti-fraud training and professional development are experiencing a similar increase (according to 37 percent of the organizations polled), but nearly one-quarter (24 percent) anticipate a decrease in this area. The budget component most likely to see decreases is travel for anti-fraud staff, which shouldn’t be surprising given the plunging levels of air travel in general over this past year, with 38 percent of the survey respondents expecting a reduction in funds for travel in the year ahead.
