Any business or organisation can fall victim to fraudulent or corrupt behaviour, resulting in financial losses ranging from minor sums through to millions of dollars, as well as damaging brand integrity and public trust, sometimes to the point of threatening the very existence of the business.
Fraud and corruption are not new threats to businesses, but the scope of adverse effects and potential losses has widened. As managers have taken on more responsibility, they have become less able to devote time to overseeing subordinates, and the opportunities for fraud or corruption have grown.
Few organizations are equipped to investigate fraud and corruption effectively, yet failure to act promptly and decisively can be the difference in identifying those responsible, recovering assets and preventing future occurrences, and not. Moreover, as businesses begin to operate on a more global level, those affected by corrupt behaviour risk being investigated by foreign authorities under laws such as the USA Foreign Corrupt Practices Act or the UK Bribery Act.
At THSS, we undertake investigations to identify the culprits, ascertain the methods used to commit the fraud and assemble the evidence required to support a civil claim to recover the defrauded assets.
We use a range of techniques to investigate the fraud and assemble the evidence. These include recovery and analysis of company records and email / phone traffic, interviews with witnesses and surveillance of suspects, and reviews of payroll and contractor payment details, which are matched against banking records. A fraud investigation often throws up new and intriguing information which must be confirmed and analysed. Our software tools allow us to analyse large amounts of information ranging from telephone calls and email traffic through to supplier payments and cash receipts.
Our fraud investigation reports provide the information required to launch civil action to recover assets, to file a criminal complaint with the Police, to support a fidelity insurance claim, or to take civil action against other parties that may have failed to prevent the fraud from taking place.
Anti-Fraud Audits
With nearly half of medium to large businesses reporting instances of fraud over the past two years, how can you be sure that your business isn’t falling victim to corruptive behaviour? Are you suffering losses to your profit margin, or should your business be performing better than it is?
Our Anti-Fraud Audits seek to provide intelligence as to whether any fraudulent activity is occurring within a business, as well as helping to identify internal controls, improvements and efficiencies that can help to reduce associated risks and prevent fraud from taking place. An Anti-Fraud Audit aims to help businesses better understand the need for improved fraud risk management and more effective internal controls.
Our Anti-Fraud Audits often acts as a catalyst to effect change, and enhances the anti-fraud protections across various business units. Our Audits are tailored to a client’s specific needs, but will normally include a review of the list of vendors to ascertain that all are genuine suppliers. We will also conduct data mining on company and banking data to search for any double, over or unjustified payments, examine the pay roll lists to determine whether any ghost employees are present, and verify financial transaction procedures to ensure that they are adequately protected from potential manipulation and fraud.
Contact Us
To discuss Fraud Investigations on a confidential basis, call us on (03) 5518 2906 or send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
