Innovation Connector to Host Anti-Fraud Workshop for Small Businesses

Financial fraud is a serious threat to small businesses. Photo by: GraphicstockFinancial fraud is a serious threat to small businesses. Photo by: Graphicstock

By: Tammy Allen, The Northeast Indiana Innovation Center—

Muncie, INEach year United States businesses lose over $1 trillion of revenue due to fraudulent accounting practices and embezzlement. Small business owners are invited to attend an anti-fraud workshop to learn 10 No-Cost Ways to Reduce Financial Fraud Risk. “Financial fraud closes companies, eliminates jobs, and damages the perceived integrity of the U.S. market. If we can prevent one company from experiencing this, our workshop will be a huge success,” said Abigail Grenfell, MBA, CFE, CIA, CPA, President, Internal Control and Anti-Fraud Experts, LLC.

Grenfell is leading the workshop, which was developed for small businesses and will be offered on Thursday, June 21, at The NIIC, 7:30 a.m. – 10 a.m. (7:30 a.m. to 8 a.m. open breakfast, 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. workshop), and at The Innovation Connector, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. open lunch, 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. workshop).

There is no charge to attend the workshop, and registration is required. Seating is limited.

Click here to register for the Fort Wayne workshop.

Click here to register for the Muncie workshop.

“So many different professionals, including those in the for-profit and non-profit sectors, may benefit from attending this workshop. CEOs, CFOs, business leaders, finance professionals, non-profit leaders, senior leadership at churches, etc. are all welcome to attend. We are offering this workshop as part of our moral obligation to our community. We want them to succeed and not be part of that annual statistic of U.S., annual revenue lost due to fraud,” said Leslee Hill, Director, Women’s Entrepreneurial Opportunity Center (WEOC).

“Fraud begins small. By the time it’s discovered, it has grown substantially. Small businesses are at greatest risk. They can lack segregation of duties or staff qualifications to monitor for fraud and the abnormal activities that enable it—which may appear normal on the surface. This workshop will help business owners recognize warning signals of fraud. The procedures required for data and information capture and related preservation for litigation or settlement of fraud claims require highly specialized knowledge and training of a credentialed forensic professional. We’re happy to see the NIIC present this as a topic and excited to help underwrite and be a part of the program,” said David O. Cole, CPA, CRFAC, CVA, CDFA, CGMA, Haines, Isenbarger & Skiba, LLC, workshop sponsor.

 

This workshop is powered by WEOC, The NIIC, Innovation Connector, Internal Control and Anti-Fraud Experts, LLC, and Fort Wayne SCORE. It is sponsored by Gibson; Haines, Isenbarger & Skiba, LLC; PNC Bank, and The Thompson Group.