Don't miss opportunities to help organizations during fraud aftershocks

An organization discovers devastating, costly fraudulent activity. It’s now waffling on spending money on a proactive fraud prevention plan. But while the fraud still stings, now’s the time for a consulting CFE — internal or external — to pitch substantive anti-fraud measures that could save the organization.

Late on a Friday evening, many of the executive team members of a packaging firm, Divayo Inc., were in the office preparing for a Monday board of directors’ meeting. Stephen, a CFE at a local accounting firm that worked for Divayo, exited the elevator in the company’s building and followed a swirling sea of cigar smoke to the corner office of Doug, Divayo’s general counsel. He had his feet up on his desk, a Churchill-style cigar in one hand and a Scotch in the other. The board’s briefing binder sat unopened on his desk. Doug stared off into space. Stephen introduced himself, and they engaged in small talk. Doug seemed only mildly interested in Stephen’s responsibility to follow up on an anonymous tip about fraudulent activity at Divayo. Stephen, obviously, didn’t disclose that Doug was the subject of the tip.