Effects of Fraud and Corruption On A Business
Fraud and corruption in a business can lead to a loss of confidence and trust among investors and shareholders because corruption, fraud, and bribery have the potential to topple businesses.
Fraud and corruption in a business can lead to a loss of confidence and trust among investors and shareholders because corruption, fraud, and bribery have the potential to topple businesses.
By Brad Nakase, Attorney
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Everyone knows that fraud causes financial losses. However, not many people realize the enormous effect fraud can have on people, businesses, and whole industries. Think of when you drop a stone in a pond, and how the ripples spread out from the center to the far edge of the water. It is important to understand the effect fraud has on companies to know how best to avoid it. Whether it is caused by an organized group or an individual, fraud can have serious consequences. Of course, the greater the scale of fraud, the worse the effects.
This writing is informed by our Los Angeles business disputes attorney representing thousands of business owners; additionally, the best data comes from my first-hand conversations with business owners and their leadership team.
Fraud is not just about stealing money from big corporations. People can be victims too. Ordinary folks like your family and neighbors can suffer terrible trauma from the effects of fraud. The vulnerable, such as the sick and elderly, are often the most hurt by fraud. These people depend on government services and can really suffer from fraudulent activity. Not only does fraud cause mental and physical pain, but it reduces opportunities for both people and organizations.
Fraud takes money away from the people and businesses who really need it. This impacts how well the government can serve those who need its help. Government programs can fail due to fraud operations.
When an organization is affected by fraud, it can damage the company’s reputation. When governments or industries suffer from fraud or corruption, there can a widespread increase in distrust.
When fraudsters enter a market to drive out legitimate companies, they can make services worse and infect other sectors with their shady activities. When people suffer from fraud, they turn to community charities and services for help, which places an extra burden on these organizations.
Fraud impacts how well government and community organizations and services function. The United Nations reported that “28 per cent of the companies that reported internal corruption in the last two years noted that they had suffered from business misconduct, and 45 per cent said they had suffered from asset misappropriation.” When programs work less efficiently or collapse altogether, the environment can suffer from pollution and harmed ecosystems. If the fraud leads to ecological disasters, it can cost a lot of money to fix the problem.
Because fraud can put national security at risk, it affects a nation’s standing in the world community. The money attained through fraud can be used to fund terrorism and crime organizations. This poses a threat to other countries.
Based on estimates, governments typically lose between one and five percent of their budget to undetected fraud. This is money that should be used to serve citizens but is instead being diverted for criminal purposes.
It can be expensive to track down fraudsters and reduce corruption. The process involves finding instances of fraud, investigating them, and restoring financial losses. There are also the costs associated with auditing programs and redesigning them to better resist fraud.
Have a quick question? We answered nearly 2000 FAQs.
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