Pro Bono Anti-Fraud Training for the IFRC

A global team of FRA professionals was given the opportunity to deliver a series of pro bono anti-fraud training sessions to the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).Members of our forensic accounting and data analytics teams prepared and delivered quarterly virtual sessions for staff in relevant roles across the IFRC’s 192 National Societies. These sessions were tailored to raise awareness of fraud methodologies, types of red flags and how fraud can be prevented, detected and investigated.

Topics covered to date

1. General Fraud Overview – An introduction to recent statistics and why awareness is crucial in the fight against fraud. This session highlighted various fraud schemes, such as procurement fraud, expenses fraud and payroll fraud and the red flags to be aware of. We discussed prevention and detection methods for several types of fraud, provided an overview on how to investigate fraud allegations, and discussed how the pandemic has impacted fraud and the types of fraud being committed.
2. Investigating Fraud Allegations – What to do when a fraud has been reported or detected, how to identify, collect and analyse relevant data and documents, the do’s and don’ts for interviewing witnesses and suspects, and how to report conclusions and recommendations.
3. Procurement Fraud – Defining different types of procurement fraud, how to prevent and detect procurement fraud, and the impact of procurement fraud on the organisation and its employees.
4. Misappropriation of Assets and Abuse of Power and Corruption – Detailing the various methods that fraudsters use to misappropriate assets, such as cash, fraudulent disbursements and inventory and other assets. We also covered the red flags for each fraud scheme, the methods for prevention and detection of     asset misappropriation.
5. Cash & Expenses fraud – Detailing the various methods that fraudsters use to commit cash and expenses fraud. We also covered the red flags for these types of fraud scheme, as well as the methods for prevention and detection of these schemes.

Sharing Best Practice with the Non-Profit Sector

During each session, FRA colleagues from different offices, specialist teams and levels of seniority drew from real-life case studies and shared practical insight on various investigations. Given the international nature of the IFRC’s operations and the wide scope of the IFRC teams to which we presented, it was important for us to offer a diversity of perspectives and expertise from across FRA. We were delighted to have the opportunity to tailor our end-to-end investigation expertise to support the IFRC’s work – from the initial allegation, planning the investigation, dealing with evidence, interviews, reporting and recommendations.

"Sharing knowledge and experience across different sectors, humanitarian and corporate, is always a unique opportunity to better understand in which circumstances fraud and corruption may occur. Our partnership with FRA included 5 awareness sessions on different types of fraud and corruption risks. These sessions were opened to the IFRC 191 National Societies and IFRC own staff. We collectively discussed emerging trends and methodologies, putting us in a better position to mitigate incidents of wrongdoing and how to address allegations. As the largest humanitarian and a specific membership organisation, the IFRC is strongly committed to fighting fraud and corruption. As our Secretary General stated recently, the IFRC strives to work “with agility and integrity to build trust among the communities we serve”.

Through our partnership, FRA immensely contributed to this commitment."

- Office of Internal Audit and Investigations (OIAI), IFRC, 2023

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