Business customers

Most employees are reliable, and trustworthy. To help stop any risk of fraud, you should have internal controls in place. All companies are at risk of staff fraud.

Examples of staff fraud could be:

• Stealing office stationery or stock.
• Pretending to have worked extra hours.
• Creating fake invoices or cheques.
• Abusing the company credit cards.
• Offering cheaper services without consent.
• Stealing company data. This could be client lists, processes or passwords.

You can help reduce the risk. If you make sure your business has effective controls in place. Make sure your guidance is clear and this will help safeguard your company assets.

Key things to look out for:

These can be signs of fraudulent activity:

• A member of staff who quits not long after joining.
• Suppliers or contractors who will only deal with certain staff member's.
• A member of staff with financial problems. This could be linked to a change in circumstances such as the death of a spouse.
• A sudden change in an employee's lifestyle. This could be a standard of living beyond their means.
• Documents with sensitive information going missing. This could be client or company data.
• Changes in an employee's behaviour or actions.

You can get some useful information by visiting: https://www.cifas.org.uk/.

Remember

It's important for you and your staff to know how to protect your business. This should be a top priority within your business. All staff should have the knowledge and tools to keep themselves safe and your business.