Perspectives on retail payments fraud

Payment systems ; Fraud

Office of Anticorruption and Integrity: Annual Report 2013

[Excerpt] Corruption is not single-celled. It does not move in just one direction and has many causes and symptoms. It has no single cure and will continue to grow and fester unless addressed from multiple fronts. The Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) Office of Anticorruption and Integrity (OAI) recognizes that tackling corruption requires a multifaceted approach and a comprehensive network of partnerships and alliances. Tasked to ensure that the finite development funds entrusted to ADB are not misused as a result of fraud and corruption, OAI relies on close collaborations with internal and external partners and stakeholders to fulfill its mandate. OAI’s mandate is underpinned by ADB’s zero tolerance to corruption. It is aligned with ADB’s broader commitment to combat corruption and improve governance as a core strategic objective of ADB Strategy 2020, and the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness of 2005—to which ADB is a signatory—in support of effective, transparent, and accountable aid. More than ever, in 2013 OAI’s anticorruption work focused on prevention, oversight, investigation, and deterrence through partnership, awareness raising, and outreach. Its achievements in 2013 reflect OAI’s close partnership and teamwork with ADB’s governance and operations departments as well as external partners to address fraud, corruption, abuse of resources, and other violations that undermine the integrity and effectiveness of ADB-funded activities

Payments fraud : consumer considerations

This article examines the potential for fraud associated with various "traditional" payment methods and the protective measures that consumers should take when using them.Payment systems ; Checks ; Credit cards

Semi-Annual Report to Congress for the Period of April 1, 2009 to September 30, 2009

[Excerpt] I am pleased to submit this Semiannual Report to Congress, which highlights the most significant activities and accomplishments of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG), for the six-month period ending September 30, 2009. During this reporting period, our investigative work led to 214 indictments, 221 convictions, and $123.1 million in monetary accomplishments. In addition, we issued 22 audit and other reports. OIG audits and investigations continue to assess the effectiveness, efficiency, economy, and integrity of DOL’s programs and operations. We also continue to investigate labor racketeering and/or organized crime influence against unions, employee benefit plans, and workers. From an audit perspective, the OIG is highly engaged in ensuring the integrity of DOL activities related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act) funding. During this reporting period, we issued five reports to that end. Among our findings are that DOL implemented procedures for the accounting of Recovery Act financial activity, acted quickly to implement the premium-assistance provisions for workers who temporarily maintain their health insurance at group rates after losing their jobs, and effectively implemented the temporary program for additional unemployment compensation for eligible recipients. We also identified areas for improvement related to financial and performance reporting and programmatic coordination with states. An audit found shortcomings with DOL’s new iCert system, which is designed to identify inaccuracies in H-1B labor condition applications (LCAs) for foreign workers. We found that, because of missing electronic checks, manual reviews of the LCAs by analysts are necessary. However, increases in the volume of applications may result in analysts not being able to perform a 100 percent review. This increases the risk of LCAs being improperly certified. Our audits also continue to reveal that some Job Corps centers do not comply with requirements for reporting performance for student attendance and accountability. We also found that, at three centers, a contractor had not ensured compliance with procedures to address student misconduct. An audit of the handling of injured Federal employees’ reemployment status at two Federal workers’ compensation district offices found that the Department did not ensure that consistent intervention actions were taken toward removing cases from the periodic roll. This increased the risk of claimants continuing to receive full Federal Employee’s Compensation Act benefits after they were able to return to work or after their compensation could have been reduced. Our investigations continue to combat organized crime and/or labor racketeering involving the monies in union- sponsored benefit plans, internal union corruption, and labor-management relations. A major OIG investigation disclosed more than 30 years of organized crime control of the International Longshoremen’s Association Local 1235, which represents port workers in New Jersey. In another investigation, the business manager for the Electrical Workers Local Union No. 3, who was a former New York State assemblyman, was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment on racketeering, bank fraud, and false statement charges involving a number of schemes carried out for personal gain. OIG investigations also identified vulnerabilities and fraud in DOL programs, such as the foreign labor certification (FLC) program. One OIG investigation led to the recent sentencing of Viktar Krus and his co-conspirators to various periods of incarceration for fraudulently obtaining visas for more than 3,800 foreign nationals and defrauding the government of$7.4 million in payroll taxes. Because of our investigative expertise, the OIG is a member of the International Organized Crime (IOC) strategy headed by the U.S. Attorney General. The IOC is committed to combating crime by international organized groups. Finally, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to former DOL Inspector General Gordon S. Heddell, who is now serving as the Inspector General at the U.S. Department of Defense. During his leadership of more than eight years, the DOL-OIG consistently achieved significant results similar to those presented in this report. As Acting Inspector General, I look forward to continuing to work with the Secretary of Labor and her management team in ensuring the effectiveness of DOL in delivering services and protecting the rights and benefits of American workers and retirees

Detecting Causes of Variances In Operational Outputs of Manufacturing Organizations: A Forensic Accounting Investigation Approach.

With the introduction of the International Standard on Auditing number 240 (ISA240) there has been a paradigm shift in auditing as auditors are now required to identify and assess the risks of material misstatements due to fraud at the financial statement level and to evaluate the sufficiency, implementation and the effectiveness of the controls related to those assessed prone to fraud. This, of course, implies that statutory audit must now take the garb of forensic investigations. The problem with the present system of forensic investigation is that it is focused more on financial transactions than on the totality of the entity’s operations and often time neglects areas where there have been constant leakages of other organizational resources that are of financial consequences but which are not easily detected with a normal analysis of the financial statement. This paper attempts to offer suggestions using real case problem on how to apply forensic accounting in investigating variances and suspected fraudulent activities in manufacturing processes. It employs both empirical and supervised experimental modules integrated with the normal audit tools in unearthing fraudulent acts perpetrated over many accounting periods

Toolkit on tackling error, fraud and corruption in social protection programs

This toolkit is intended to provide a concise but thorough resource for social protection practitioners on how to minimize error, fraud and corruption in their program(s). It is organized in five sections. The first section introduces the topic, by clarifying the key concepts and spelling out the rationale for this activity. The second section provides a generic framework for combating error, fraud, and corruption (EFC), developed around four building blocks of prevention; detection; deterrence; and measurement. The third section reviews the instruments, tools and mechanisms used to combat EFC in social protection programs, structured by strategic actions (prevention; detection; deterrence), by level of government and over time (how these tools and instruments can be developed over time). Section four includes generic terms of reference for the assessment of the mechanisms for combating EFC in social protection programs. The last section summarizes the main findings for three such diagnostics from the Kyrgyz Republic and the Ukraine.Public Sector Corruption&Anticorruption Measures,Insurance&Risk Mitigation,E-Business,Debt Markets,Emerging Markets

On the record: tapping technology for immigration enforcement: a conversation with Lisa Roney

Immigration consultant Lisa Roney, former director of Research and Evaluation in the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' Office of Policy and Strategy, discusses the government's E-Verify program.Emigration and immigration ; Immigrants ; Technological innovations

Francis Azur v. Chase Bank USA NA

USDC for the Western District of Pennsylvani

Report on the study of EDP-related fraud in the banking and insurance industries

https://egrove.olemiss.edu/aicpa_assoc/1328/thumbnail.jp

Semi-Annual Report to Congress for the Period of April 1, 2006 to September 30, 2006

[Excerpt] I am pleased to submit this Semiannual Report to the Congress, which highlights the significant activities and accomplishments of the Office of Inspector General (OIG) for the six-month period ending September 30, 2006. During this reporting period, our investigative work led to 295 indictments, 260 convictions, and over $76 million in monetary accomplishments. In addition, we issued 66 audit reports and questioned$90.2 million in costs. During this reporting period, the OIG continued to provide audit and investigative oversight of the Department of Labor’s (DOL’s) response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. We issued six management letters related to this effort. One of the letters identified individuals who had received disaster unemployment assistance (DUA) from one state, while also receiving DUA or state unemployment compensation from another state. In addition, an OIG investigation led to the indictment of a disaster-reconstruction company owner who had allegedly neglected to pay approximately $1.4 million in employee taxes owed to the Federal and state governments. OIG audits included significant recommendations to address vulnerabilities identified in DOL programs and operations. For example, we issued a performance audit that determined that DOL’s coal mine hazardous condition complaint process needed improvement. We also conducted several audits assessing the adequacy of the Department’s information security program and identified challenges in the areas of access controls and protection over personally identifiable information. Our investigations continue to combat labor racketeering in the workplace and fraud involving DOL programs. One particular investigation resulted in several former high-ranking officials of Laborers’ International Union of North America Local 91 in the State of New York either pleading guilty or being sentenced for conspiring to commit violations of the Hobbs Act. Another significant case involved Ralphs Grocery Company. Ralphs pled guilty to several felony counts related to charges that it illegally rehired locked-out workers during the supermarket labor dispute in Southern California more than two years ago. In June 2006, the company agreed to pay$70 million in fines and restitution. Finally, recognizing the need to collaboratively combat document and benefit fraud, the OIG joined with the Departments of Homeland Security, Justice, State, and other agencies to form task forces in 10 major cities. Led by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the task forces have been highly effective in targeting criminal organizations and ineligible beneficiaries engaged in this type of fraud. In one case, an investigation found that the owner of a labor leasing company used counterfeit labor certification forms to apply for at least 250 green cards. The owner of the company pled guilty to charges and faces 37 to 46 months’ incarceration. The OIG remains committed to promoting the economy, integrity, effectiveness, and efficiency of DOL programs and detecting waste, fraud, and abuse against those programs. I would like to express my sincere appreciation to a professional and dedicated OIG staff for their significant achievements during this reporting period