Wednesday, November 26, 2008

The holiday season brings colder weather, frantic shopping excursions, and festive gatherings amongst friends and family. It also brings forth a steady crop of identity thieves and scammers who prey upon the unsuspecting consumer, often turning holiday cheer into a mood more befitting of Ebenezer Scrooge.

On Black Friday, the malls will be teeming with anxious consumers desperate for bargains. Identity thieves will be out shopping as well, only they’ll be using your credit card.

The holiday shopping environment enables identity thieves to flourish; the mass confusion, hectic crowds, and increased purchasing activity are all factors contributing to their criminal success.

Consumers are warned to pay close attention to any credit card transactions they may make while shopping during the holidays, and especially on Black Friday. Keep a watchful eye on store employees handling your credit card; it should never be out of sight, take note if it is swiped more than once, and be sure to check your receipt to make sure the final amount is correct.

Department stores typically hire a large supply of temporary workers for Black Friday and the remainder of the holiday shopping season, and some of them may be identity thieves, waiting patiently for the right moment and a distracted consumer. Often, they are able to hide their own purchases within those made by a consumer, and the victim is none the wiser until a credit card statement arrives.

Consumers should be aware of online scammers as well. Online department stores usually send out mass emails advertising online bargains for both Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Beware of similar-looking phishing emails designed to get your credit card information; they also have a tendency to increase during the holidays, and online identity thieves have gotten smarter and more sophisticated.

Be particularly aware of online greeting cards sent via email. If you aren’t entirely sure of the sender, do not open the greeting card attachment, as this could download malware onto your computer, another tool utilized by identity thieves to garner your credit card information or key passwords.

Safe shopping and Happy Holidays from Kessler International!

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Tuesday, November 25, 2008

It’s no secret that society is wholly disenchanted with the failing economy, and unemployment woes are making headlines every day. The pressure of the approaching holidays and nationwide job security fears are combining to form a perfect storm in which corporations are at risk for increased incidents of accounting fraud.

As more layoffs are announced each day across the United States and salary increases remain stagnant, disgruntled employees are turning to alternative methods of increasing their cash flow, and your company may be suffering as a result.

Now is the time to be aware of discrepancies in your financial records. CEO’s of major corporations aren’t the only ones looking for a bailout, and your employees may be helping themselves to extra funding at your company’s expense.

The motives causing employees to resort to accounting fraud during the holidays are varied; they may be attempting to offset losses in the market, or in their 401K and retirement funds; they may be concerned about job security and are seeking to get whatever they can before possibly facing unemployment; they may simply be desperate for extra spending cash during the holiday season.

If you suspect financial fraud within your organization, then you’ll need a certified forensic accountant to conduct a thorough investigation. The certified forensic accounting team at Kessler International specializes in fraud detection, and their extensive training and professional experience with forensic accounting will ensure that you have one less thing to worry about this Christmas season.

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