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By: Dorothy Riggs, CFE On September 7, 2017 news outlets began reporting that Equifax, one of the three major consumer credit-reporting agencies, had been the target of a major data breach.  Based on Equifax’s investigation, cyber criminals gained unauthorized access to data from mid-May through July 2017. Equifax confirmed that exposed data includes credit card numbers for approximately 209,000 people and personal identifying information (PII) for about 182,000 people involved in credit report disputes.  PII includes sensitive information such as social security numbers, names, birth dates, driver licenses and addresses. According to reports,  143 million people could be affected by this breach . That being the case, you could absolutely be affected. To find out if your data was compromised Equifax has set up a  ‘Check Potential Impact’  site where you are asked to enter your last name and the last 6 digits of your social.  After doing so, you’ll receive a message lett

By: Dorothy Riggs, CFE Catastrophic events like hurricanes Harvey and Irma tend to primarily bring out the best elements of humanity such as love, charity and compassion. However, we must sadly acknowledge that calamity also brings out the worst elements of society. The lure of financial gain leads some people to take advantage of others through the implementation of criminality and deceptive schemes.  Avoid being taken advantage of by being on the lookout for the following: Water-logged Cars According to Consumer Reports approximately 500,000 automobiles were damaged throughout Texas during hurricane Harvey. Several more vehicles were destroyed by the effects of Irma. Most of these car owners will be in the market to replace damaged cars.  It would be even more devastating if hurricane victims or any other used car buyer purchased one of the flooded cars.  Here are some things you should know before you buy: ·          Sellers often advertise flood-damaged a

5 Tips to help you pinpoint fraudsters By Dorothy Riggs, CFE What is fraud? According to the legal dictionary, fraud is typically understood as dishonesty enacted for unwarranted advantage. The legal definition is  A false representation of a matter of fact—whether by words or by conduct, by false or misleading allegations, or by concealment of what should have been disclosed—that deceives and is intended to deceive another so that the individual will act upon it to her or his legal injury. What kind of people commit fraud? Although fraud is a criminal offense in most cases, offenders don’t always gel into the stereotypical molds that are commonly reserved for delinquents. Fraudsters are often those who are least expected. The aptitude to commit fraud is not relegated to any specific group of people based on social status, intelligence, race, age or gender. Offenders can look like you and me.  Many are friends, family, rich, poor, parents, grandparents, employed, unemploy

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