4 Ways to Love Fraud

Is Valentine’s Day a celebration, holiday, or a day of observance? It probably doesn’t matter how you define it, because you either have someone to celebrate with or you don’t. If you have a Valentine, you probably feel obligated to buy a card, flowers, chocolate or all of them. If you don’t have one, then you are reminded that being alone sucks and you wish you could buy meaningless gifts for someone.

Of course, I am being sarcastic about the obligation to buy things, but I feel this way sometimes because of the extreme commercialization of February 14^th. You are probably judging me right now and saying that I am a horrible husband.

Hold up for a second before you pass judgement. When does my wife expect me to buy her a card, flowers or chocolate? If you said “Valentine’s Day,” then you would be correct. Valentine’s Day is one day - one day out of 365 days (or 366 with us being in a leap year). This leaves 364 or 365 days other than Valentine’s Day when I can surprise my wife by giving her something that is unexpected. Which one can be more heartfelt and more meaningful, the expected gift or the unexpected one?

But trying to surprise her doesn’t mean “no gifts” for Valentine’s Day, because that obligation still exists, and I don’t mind buying a card and something special for my wife. She deserves it. She “gets” to put up with me on a daily basis, which is an even bigger reason for me to surprise her throughout the year. These surprises show her my love continuously with spontaneity, while being authentic.

In the last paragraph, there were four words that I used to talk about Valentine’s Day and love. These words should also be considered ways to love fraud.

1. You have an obligation to look for fraud. No matter what your role is in the organization, you should feel obligated to look for fraud, and your employer needs to know about it. No matter what is happening in my life, I need to take the time to go to the store and pick out the perfect Valentine’s Day card for my wife. She deserves it.
2. You should continuously seek out fraud. Fraud happens every day, not just one day out of the year. If you only focus on finding fraud one day of the year, you will probably never find it. Fighting fraud is a battle you can win if it is part of your daily tasks. If I only showed love and attention to my wife on Valentine’s Day, she would probably not be with me for long. Plus, she deserves it.
3. Spontaneity can be a great way to catch fraud. The same timing of and types of procedures are predictable, and fraudsters can identify the pattern. If you get creative and add new procedures and perform unscheduled visits, you can catch a fraud because the fraudster may not have enough time to cover their tracks. With your sweetheart, spontaneity can keep your relationship spicy. The best way to describe it is when the famous Cajun food chef, Emeril Lagasse, throws something into the dish he is preparing, he will say, “BAM!” or “Kick it up a notch.” Have fun with this and be creative!
4. You must be authentic to fight fraud effectively. If you say you want to find fraud but aren’t really trying, then it is highly unlikely that you will ever find fraud. This relates to an organization’s culture. You have to be realistic about the risk of fraud and remain truly dedicated to the fight to be effective. A fraudster knows if an organization is committed to finding fraud. The same holds true for the love of your life. If you say all these sweet, kind words, but your actions do not match or vice versa; they will see right through you.

I hope your Valentine’s Day was full of love and kindness. Please remember love and kindness are worth sharing every day of the year. Now, it is time to take your fraud fighting to the next level.

For weekly insights on fighting financial fraud, click here: