Our firm has written repeatedly of instances of fraud affecting businesses in Canada, whether by external fraudsters or internal employees. The Insurance Bureau of Canada reports that fraudulent activity costs Candian businesses, including large corporations, small companies and non-profits, millions of dollars per year. Sadly, many fraudsters are even using the current health crisis related to the COVID-19 pandemic as an opportunity to commit fraud against individuals and businesses alike. Several businesses in North America, for example, have been targeted by false actors claiming to be selling personal protective equipment via targeted email scams.
As a firm, we take fraud seriously and pride ourselves on working to seek justice for clients who have been adversely affected. Recently, David Milosevic, one of our founding partners, took the additional step of becoming a designated Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE).
What is the ACFE?
The ACFE is the world’s largest anti-fraud organization. It is based in Austin, Texas but the membership is global in scope, with chapters in countries around the world, including nine in Canada. Its membership totals more than 85,000 individuals working to expose and remedy business fraud worldwide.
The ACFE’s mission is to reduce fraud and white-collar crime across the globe and to assist its membership in proactive fraud detection and deterrence of fraudulent activity.
Scope of Expertise
Fraud is, unfortunately, an everyday occurrence. The ACFE is the best resource for knowledge and insight into these frauds wherever they occur. They have experts on six continents who have investigated and been involved with millions of cases of fraud over the years since 1988. This includes employment fraud, data breaches, corruption, insider trading, consumer fraud, insurance fraud, charity fraud, and business fraud.
How It’s Done
The ACFE holds designated CFEs to a rigorous standard both during the designation process and beyond, ensuring CFEs are properly positioned to provide timely and effective strategies and advice for clients or employers to avoid fraud. Potential CFEs must demonstrate competence through mandatory continuing professional education and the successful completion of a number of detailed examinations. Once designated, CFEs are required to adhere to a strict code of professional conduct and ethics.
The Benefits of Working With a Certified Fraud Examiner
The CFE credential signifies proven expertise in fraud prevention, detection and deterrence. CFEs are trained to identify the warning signs and red flags that indicate evidence of fraud and fraud risk. CFEs around the world help protect the global economy, as well as individual businesses, by employing early detection to uncover fraud in the early stages, and advise on strategic processes to prevent it from occurring in the first place.
CFEs have a unique set of skills, including knowledge of complex financial transactions as well as an understanding of methods, law, and how to resolve allegations of fraud. The CFE credential is increasingly being designated as a preferred credential in the hiring practices of businesses, government entities and law enforcement agencies.
Risk management and early detection are key to avoid serious losses in a variety of business scams or other fraudulent activity. The ACFE has found that those who work regularly with a CFE are able to detect fraud 50% more quickly and suffer 62% smaller losses to fraud than those who do not.
Canada’s Competition Bureau has identified a number of factors that make a business particularly vulnerable to scams and other forms of fraud, with a lack of time and resources being key. When we’re busy, it can be easy to lose track of small, telling details until it is too late. Working with a law firm that can not only represent your company in fraud-related litigation but also provide avoidance and detection strategies can save significant time and resources in the long-run.
If you have a question about civil fraud, employee fraud, or similar issues, the highly skilled Toronto corporate lawyers at Milosevic & Associates can help. We can provide you with advice and guidance suited to your unique situation, and we work proactively to help clients limit losses whenever possible. Call us at 416-916-1387 or contact us online to learn more about how we can help.