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Insider fraud
Has your business been targeted by fraudsters?
Contact us right away to report a scam. We can then guide you on what to do next.
Tips to beat fraud at work
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It’s possible for someone at your business to commit fraud against you.
Take these steps to help reduce this problem:
- Use checks when hiring people - Make sure your business has a robust hiring process that’s kept up-to-date. Do a proper background check on any new starters including criminal record and character checks.
- Have a data security policy - Regularly check who can use your systems and view important or sensitive data. Senior colleagues could supervise any important actions.
- Double-check all payments - At least one colleague needs to check and approve every payment. Make sure a senior colleague supervises any colleague who deals with payments.
- Allow problems to be reported - Your staff should be able to report any wrongdoing at work in confidence, without fear of losing their job. Set up an anonymous whistleblowing phone line or some other way to report. And make sure staff know it’s safe to talk about a problem.
- Have zero tolerance for fraud - Make sure everyone knows that you won’t accept it in any form.
Examples of fraud
There are many different ways that fraud can happen at work. Here are a few examples:
- Timesheet - Declaring more hours on a timesheet than actually worked.
- Sick Leave - Claiming sick pay while working in another job.
- Units produced - Putting down more units than actually produced for more pay or commission.
- False expenses - A claim for business expenses that are really personal costs.
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If everyone at your work knows how to spot a scam, they can take action to avoid it.
To start their training, you’ll need a:
- Source of information – You can find lots of content about scams here.
- Learning plan - Your staff will need time to train and to keep up to date with the latest scams.
Get more guidance on how to protect your business from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), Stop! Think Fraud and Action Fraud.
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You have to look after any colleague who may be vulnerable.
This can be an ongoing vulnerability or a life event that makes them more open to fraud at a particular time.
If anyone at work needs help, give them extra support and fraud training.
Always include colleagues who are responsible for making financial decisions and handling payments within your business.
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If your business uses computers and other devices, protect them against fraud.
Create a simple fraud policy that everyone at your work can follow. Write it down and cover things like:
- Use - Who can use work devices and how to use them safely.
- Downloads - How to download safely.
- Links - When it’s safe or not to follow a link.
Your work devices also need to have the latest software to make them secure. Each device should have:
- Anti-fraud software - Install web or email filtering. You may want to restrict the use of memory sticks and have risk alerts when using work devices.
- Anti-virus software - Make sure all your devices have the latest protection.
Learn more on how to protect work devices.
The last but not least thing is to use strong passwords for all devices and accounts.
One way to do this is to pick three random words that aren’t personal to you or the business. Add numbers and special characters to make it harder to guess.
Only let people who work for you know the passwords for your devices.
Find out more about password security.
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Colleagues with bank cards, or login details, should memorise their PIN, password and other vital details. They should never write them down or share them with anyone else.
- Put cash in the bank - If your business deals with cash, make sure you keep most of it in the bank and not at work.
- Check your cheques - If your business uses a cheque book, keep it in a secure place at work.
Keep a note of each cheque you use. Go to your account to make sure it’s been cashed. Know how much money has been spent and how many cheques are left.
Protect your cheque books and cards just like cash.