International Fraud Awareness Week, 2011

Employee theft is becoming an issue across the nation in our tough economic times. Small Business revenues are already down; additionally, employee-related theft can really hit a struggling company where it hurts the most... Its “Bottom Line”

At no time is this issue more relevant than during International Fraud Awareness Week (the week of November 6^th through the 12^th, 2011). A study done by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) reported that businesses across the world lose an estimated $2.9 trillion annually (or, about 5% of annual revenue for each individual company) to fraud committed by their own workers. About 30% of those victimized companies had fewer than 100 employees. The median loss for businesses of all sizes was just over $160,000. Even more disheartening were findings about those who allegedly perpetrated the crimes against their own companies--as many as ¼ had been at the organization for 10 years or more.

Sheriff Donny Turner and the Criminal Investigative Division of the Troup County Sheriff’s Office would like to encourage all businesses to take steps in order to protect themselves against the chance of fraud-related theft occurring in our working community. Here are just a few suggestions which might help:

·         Secure your passwords – A good password cannot be easily guessed (i.e. child’s name, your birth date, your favorite sports team, or any other based on personal information and interests). Throw in upper and lowercase letters with numbers and/or punctuation to confound those who may try to guess your password… And, don’t use the same password twice.

·         Have your IT department (if not done by you personally) keep your computer’s browser, anti-virus and anti-spyware up to date with the latest version of security software.

·         Use the computer’s built-in firewall; and, ensure that your computer’s operating system (i.e. Windows 7, Vista, XP, etc.) is set to automatically download and install updates.

·         Guard your personal information when conducting business transactions online. Remember, once the “Send”/“Submit” button has been clicked, you cannot take it back!

If you feel that you, or your business, have recently been the victim of Fraud, notify 911 to have a Troup County Sheriff’s Deputy (or the proper law enforcement agency in your jurisdiction) dispatched to take your report.