Monthly Archives: November 2017

Fraudsters Writing Checks to Themselves
Nov 09

Fraudsters Writing Checks to Themselves: How to Understand It and Prevent It

By Charles Hall | Asset Misappropriation

The Theft

Fraudsters do write company checks to themselves. Today I tell you how they do so and how you can prevent this type of theft.

Randy Toms, a city accounting clerk, creates a manual check for $5,200 that is made out to himself and signs it with a signature stamp. (The stamp is used when the mayor is out of town.) Randy enters the transaction into the accounting system–using a journal entry–as a payment to Macon Hardware. The result: The general ledger reflects a payment to Macon Hardware, but the check is made out to Randy. Also, he codes the disbursement to an account with sufficient remaining budgetary balance. The subterfuge works since the expense accounts reflects appropriate vendor activity (a check to Macon Hardware), and expenses don’t exceed budget. Randy performs the monthly bank reconciliation, so he alone sees the cleared checks.

Given Randy’s success with the first check, he continues the fraud for several years.

(Here’s another twist to this type of theft. Some companies print their checks with the signature affixed, so the computer (in effect) signs the check. When this is true, some fraudsters will print the check to a legitimate vendor. Then they will destroy the check and write a manual check (from other company check stock) to themselves. In such cases, they are either authorized signers or they forge the signature.)

Fraudsters Writing Checks to Themselves

The Weakness

The following provides the perfect environment for this theft:

  1. The existence of the signature stamp
  2. The clerk posts journal entries without a second-person review (approval)
  3. The clerk reconciles the related bank account (ensuring that no one–other than Randy–sees the cleared checks)

As you can tell there is a lack of segregation of duties. Many small organizations are unable to segregate accounting duties since they have a limited number of employees. Even so, there are steps you can take to reduce the possibility of theft.

You may be thinking, “Wouldn’t the auditors catch this type of fraud?” Probably not. Auditors seldom compare cleared checks to supporting invoices. (If you’re an auditor, you may want to consider this potential theft in your fraud brainstorming sessions.)

The Fix

The fix includes the following:

  1. Get rid of the signature stamp
  2. Require second party approval of all journal entries
  3. Have someone other than the clerk reconcile the bank account (and review cleared checks)

Some governments or businesses have bank statements mailed to someone outside the accounting department such as the city mayor or business owner. This person opens the bank statement and performs a cursory review of the cleared checks–once done, the bank statement is routed to the accounting department. Since cleared checks are viewed by someone else, there is less of a chance that the accounting staff will write checks to themselves.

Converting company checks to cash
Nov 08

Converting Company Checks to Cash

By Charles Hall | Asset Misappropriation

The Theft: Converting Company Checks to Cash

In a recent post, we saw that John opens the mail and receipts checks made out to the City of Whoville. He was stealing cash by using the check-for-cash fraud scheme. That’s one way to steal.

But consider that converting company checks to cash—even without using a check-for-cash scheme—is possible. 

In this post, I show you how fraudsters turn company checks into cash.

Converting company checks to cashJohn can open a new bank account in the name of the city. Everyone in the community knows that John works in the city’s accounting department; so it appears perfectly normal for him to open a new bank account. John conveniently signs the signature card as the solely authorized signature. The name he uses for the bank account is Whoville Projects. So, the account name appears reasonable, and John has what he wants–a bank account for which he is the solely authorized signer.

John alone opens the mail. Now he steals checks made out to the city and deposits them into the Whoville Projects bank account (the new account is never set up in the city’s general ledger). Then John writes checks from his fraudulent bank account to anyone he chooses–including himself. (Rita Crundwell used an off-the-books checking account to steal $53 million dollars.)

Many companies incorrectly believe that fraudulent bank accounts can’t be opened in their name, especially if they are incorporated. Why? Because most banks ask for copies of company corporate documents. But consider that fraudsters can open a “doing business as” bank account in the name of ABC Company. Since the bank account is a personal (and not a corporate) bank account, the bank will not ask for corporate documentation.

Also, fake corporate documents can be created, if Susie wants to go the route of opening the bank account in the name of ABC Company, Inc.

The Internal Control Weakness

The fundamental weakness is John opens the mail and receipts the checks by himself. Also, this type of theft often occurs when no one is comparing revenues to budget or prior period amounts. A lack of security cameras allows John’s thefts to go undetected.

Fix the Control Weakness

Two people should be present when the mail is opened and receipted. Another alternative is to use a lockbox; that way, all checks go directly to the city’s bank rather than to the city.

The city should install security cameras and record all activity.

Periodically request a list of all accounts from the bank. Then see if each account is set up in the city’s general ledger.

Theft of Capital assets
Nov 07

Theft of Capital Assets in Local Governments

By Charles Hall | Asset Misappropriation

Theft of Capital Assets

In businesses, nonprofits, and governments, the theft of capital assets happens often. Today I explain how these thefts occur and how you can prevent them.

A USA Today article began with, “Stolen and sensitive U.S. military equipment, including fighter jet parts wanted by Iran…have been available to the highest bidder on popular Internet sales sites.” The article went on to say that the equipment, “purchased with taxpayer money,” was available for purchase on eBay and Craigslist and included “components from F-14 fighter jets” and “used Nuclear Biological Chemical protective suit.”

Theft of Capital assets
Capital assets often go missing because no one is paying attention, and the thief knows it. Such assets can be stolen with the intent to sell and convert to cash or simply for personal use.

The thefts often occur when employees place equipment or other capital assets in their vehicles and drive home. If the employee wants to cover their tracks, they might complete accounting paperwork for disposal of assets (saying the equipment was junked). More often than not, however, the asset is just stolen because the employee knows that no one will notice, or, if someone does, he can say, “I don’t know what happened to that piece of equipment.”

Long-term employees realize that the external auditors seldom audit existing capital assets. Yes, the auditor will examine an invoice, but how many auditors physically inspect plant, property and equipment?

Capital Asset Control Weakness

The main enabling factor is usually a lack of accountability. Many companies, nonprofits, and small governments do not perform periodic fixed asset inventories. Often equipment is purchased and added to the depreciation schedule, but no one–at a later date–compares this master list of fixed assets to what is (or should be) physically present.

Correcting Capital Asset Control Weakness

Performing periodic inventories is the key to lessening the threat of capital asset theft.

First assign each capital asset to a person (usually a department head or a supervisor); let this person know that he or she is personally responsible for the item. Then have someone external to each department perform periodic inventories of departmental assets.

Also, install security cameras to record all activity.

See my article: Auditing Plant, Property, and Equipment.

Check for Cash Fraud
Nov 06

Check-for-Cash Fraud: Easy Theft

By Charles Hall | Asset Misappropriation

The Theft: Check-for-Cash

The check-for-cash fraud scheme is a simple yet effective way for employees to steal. Today I explain how this type of theft occurs and how you can prevent it.

Kelly is a receipts clerk in the City of Whosville. She usually collects about $25,000 each day with $8,000 of this being in cash and the remainder in checks. Kelly, based on city policy, receipts all monies she receives, but she does not note on the receipt whether the payment is cash or check.

Check for Cash Fraud

Kelly also opens the mail and receipts those checks. Each month the city receives about a dozen alcohol tax checks–each made out to the City of Whosville–in the range of $3,000 to $6,000 each. These payments are paid by the alcohol distributors based on their sales, so the revenue is recognized upon receipt (and no receivable is accrued before payment).

Kelly wants to take a trip overseas, but she needs about $15,000 which he doesn’t have. But then she has a novel idea.

Since she opens the mail, she can steal cash in the following manner:

  1. Don’t receipt a check received in the mail (e.g., an alcohol tax check for $4,503)
  2. Place that check in her cash drawer
  3. Take $4,503 from her cash drawer and place it in her purse

The $4,503 in cash came from legitimate collections. Receipts were written for the payments, but Kelly did not note whether cash or checks were received. 

Over a three month period, Kelly steals $17,505, and no one notices.

The Internal Control Weakness

Though receipts are issued, the type of payment (cash or check) is not noted. No one (such as a supervisor) is reconciling the composition–total cash and total checks–to the receipts.

Preventing Check-for-Cash Theft

As receipts are issued, require collection personnel to note the type of payment received (whether cash or check). A supervisor should reconcile the amount of cash and checks in the collection drawer to the receipts. If total cash and total checks don’t reconcile to the receipts, then the check-for-cash fraud might be occurring.

Compare the budgeted alcohol tax amount to the total received.

Also, consider installing a camera to record cash collections activity and do not allow purses or other bags in the collections area.

Yep, check-for-cash theft is an easy way to steal. Make sure you’ve got the right controls in place to keep this from happening in your business. 

ghost employee fraud
Nov 05

Ghost Employee Fraud: Payroll Theft

By Charles Hall | Asset Misappropriation

In this article I explain ghost employee fraud and what you can do to prevent it.

The Theft: Ghost Employee Fraud

Last year I received a phone call. The payroll clerk of a local business had been monkeying around with the company’s direct deposits. As employees left the business, the payroll clerk left them in the system. Why? To steal those continuing payments. Auditors refer to this as ghost employee fraud–the employees are in the system, but they are not real.

Ghost employee fraud

The picture is courtesy of AdobeStock.com

Knowing no one was paying attention, the clerk changed the terminated employees’ direct deposit bank account numbers to her own. The result?She received multiple direct deposits each payroll. The clerk was able to steal over $800,000 before the theft was detected. 

Also, the payroll clerk had not filed tax returns, so the Internal Revenue Service rubbed salt into the wound by levying fines.

The Control Weakness

The owners trusted the payroll clerk too much and did not monitor her work. The clerk performed all payroll services with no supervision. While the owners were aware of the lack of segregation of duties, they took no steps to prevent the theft. (Even when a business doesn’t segregate its accounting duties, there are ways to lessen the threat of theft.)

Fixing the Control Weakness

Export all direct deposit bank account numbers along with employee names into an Excel spreadsheet and sort the bank account numbers. (The bank account numbers should be in one column and the employee name in a separate column.) Sort the bank account numbers, and the duplicate numbers will appear in adjacent rows. So once you sort the bank account numbers, see if there are any duplicates. If there are, see why.

Another fix is for the owners to review a list of all employees paid (just request a list of all employees paid for one or more payrolls). Since the owners normally know which employees have left, they will know if payroll payments are made beyond the departure dates.

Ghost employee fraud has been and continues to be a significant threat in most businesses. Make sure you consider this potential in your company. 

See my related post Auditing Payroll: The Why and How Guide.

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