Traits of an ethical leader

Five traits of an ethical leader

The year just past saw many major business scandals including those at Volkswagen, 7-Eleven and Turing Pharmaceuticals. All pointed to a business culture using the “end justifies the means” argument to justify unethical if not illegal practices.

While hopefully the exception and not the rule, these cases all left the public asking whether getting caught was seen by some leaders as the worst crime of all.

What are the qualities of an ethical leader and how might someone with those qualities think and act?

https://theconversation.com/five-traits-of-an-ethical-leader-51181

Why 'fear' is a motivator for unethical behaviour

Fear and embarrassment — rather than lining executive pockets– may be the primary motivating factor for private and public company executives succumbing to financial statement fraud, according to recently published research.

http://daily.financialexecutives.org/fears-impact-on-accounting-fraud-is-actually-kind-of-spooky/?mkt_tok=3RkMMJWWfF9wsRokvqzLZKXonjHpfsX%2F7eokWLHr08Yy0EZ5VunJEUWy24YGTtQ%2FcOedCQkZHblFnVgJSq29RawNr6IE

7 of the biggest corporate scandals

Astonishing unethical behaviour from Volkswagen, Enron, Libor and others....http://money.cnn.com/gallery/news/2015/10/14/biggest-corporate-scandals/index.html

Many Australians are guilty of lax behaviour when it comes to protecting themselves online.

Credit information provider Veda, which released its preliminary report on cyber fraud in fiscal 2015 on Wednesday, says reported incidents of credit application fraud rose 13 per cent in 2014/15.

Nearly one in three Australians published their full birth date - a key piece of information in verifying someone's identity - on social networking sites.

Fraudsters are increasingly using stolen or fabricated identities when applying for credit.

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2015/10/07/more-stolen-ids-used-credit-fraud

Synthetic Identity Fraud: A New Kind of Costly ID Theft You've Never Heard Of

(NEW YORK) -- Identity theft has been an ever-growing problem, but authorities say there is a new twist on an old problem for us to worry about: Synthetic identity fraud.

“Synthetic identity fraud is when the fraudster uses one true piece of your identity… and then combines it with fake information, so perhaps a different name, a different date of birth,” said Eva Velasquez, the CEO of Identity Theft Resource Center.

By some reports, synthetic identity fraud now accounts for 85 percent of all identity fraud in the United States, costing an estimated $2 billion a year, according to investigators.

http://www.wbal.com/article/119789/113/synthetic-identity-fraud-a-new-kind-of-costly-id-theft-youve-never-heard-of

Psychology Of Fraud: Why Good People Do Bad Things

We are all capable of behaving in profoundly unethical ways - it depends on our cognitive frame.

Read more at:
http://www.npr.org/2012/05/01/151764534/psychology-of-fraud-why-good-people-do-bad-things

10 Tips for Ethics Training

What is the best way to train your employees on ethics? Well, it depends.   Employees all have different preferences on how they like to receive training. Kessler said many IT-focused companies prefer e-training that can be done on a computer without human interaction, while other companies have staff that get the most out of face-to-face training. The key is determining what those preferences are and what is best for the company.

“Training is most effective when it is taught live, by managers, and in small groups,” Kessler said. “If possible, avoid lecturing in a large auditorium or conducting training via a webcast. Ethics training requires dialogue, analysis and discussion.”

http://acfeinsights.squarespace.com/acfe-insights/2015/6/15/10-tips-for-ethics-training?mkt_tok=3RkMMJWWfF9wsRonsqrBZKXonjHpfsX%2F7eokWLHr08Yy0EZ5VunJEUWy2oUBTNQ%2FcOedCQkZHblFnVgJSq29RawNr6IE

Are You Keeping Up With the Fraudsters Online?

Fraud examiners do not need to become tech experts to be successful in their careers, but they do need a basic understanding of advances in the industry and a strategy to stay up-to-date on the relevant trends. Sure, technology can be scary … but it doesn't have to be.

http://www.acfe.com/fraud-examiner.aspx?id=4294988378&mkt_tok=3RkMMJWWfF9wsRons6jKZKXonjHpfsX%2F7eokWLHr08Yy0EZ5VunJEUWy2oACStQ%2FcOedCQkZHblFnVgJSq29RawNr6IE 

The Executive Fraud Triangle The great "I"

Do you know an Executive Fraudster?

In this evolved Fraud Triangle, the possibly fraudulent executive stands alone at the center as the great "I" and is surrounded by three points: greed, pride and entitlement.

• Greed: Executives want money, position, title, authority, perks, services, etc.
• Pride: Executives think they're better, smarter, more skilled or superior.
• Entitled: Executives feel as though they deserve money, position, title, authority, perks, services, etc.

http://www.fraud-magazine.com/article.aspx?id=4294988229&mkt_tok=3RkMMJWWfF9wsRons67IZKXonjHpfsX%2F7eokWLHr08Yy0EZ5VunJEUWy2oABS9Q%2FcOedCQkZHblFnVgJSq29RawNr6IE

Why politicians don’t want us to think, but opinions are okay

It’s time to gear up for the next election cycle, with the upcoming Australian federal budget the whistle for kick-off. So what can we expect from our politicians this time around?

One thing has become a given in Australian politics: we will not be asked to think. That doesn’t mean we won’t, of course. But don’t wait for the invitation to arrive in the mail.

The last thing politicians want is for us to analyse, synthesise, infer and evaluate. We might end up insisting they do the same, or that they outline their thinking for us to evaluate.

https://theconversation.com/why-politicians-dont-want-us-to-think-but-opinions-are-okay-41459

How to Extract a Confession…Ethically

Scientists are using social psychology to enhance interrogation methods without force

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-to-extract-a-confession-ethically/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+sciam/mind-and-brain+(Topic:+Mind+&+Brain)&mkt_tok=3RkMMJWWfF9wsRons67IZKXonjHpfsX%2F7eokWLHr08Yy0EZ5VunJEUWy2oABS9Q%2FcOedCQkZHblFnVgJSq29RawNr6IE

Banks 'scrambling' to combat Apple Pay identity fraud - report

Apple Pay has proven to be a venue of convenience for criminals focusing on identity fraud, a new report suggests, with many fraudsters taking advantage of lax customer verification controls put in place by Apple's partner banks to make brick-and-mortar purchases using stolen credit cards via the growing mobile payment service.
http://appleinsider.com/articles/15/03/02/banks-scrambling-to-combat-apple-pay-identity-fraud---report

5 steps to reduce small business fraud from the ACFE

Many small- to medium-sized businesses do not have the budget or the resources to employ a robust anti-fraud team so here are 5 simple non-expensive steps from the Certified Fraud Examiners to reduce small business fraud (click on link).

The 5 steps

Recognizing human trafficking red flags can save lives!

http://www.fraud-magazine.com/article.aspx?id=4294986416