What better time than International Fraud Awareness Week to educate our readers about easy ways to use internet research to protect themselves against fraud?

Admittedly the internet is limited in what information it can provide but there are some obvious flight checks to be undertaken before taking the plunge in terms of any business investment.

This applies to a broad spectrum. Some friends recently decided to have a bit of fun by opening a Full Tilt poker account. The company was guaranteeing to match whatever stake they put up so they added £100 and it was doubled to £200. However Full Tilt is currently at the centre of a Federal investigation amid claims that it has operated a huge Ponzi scheme with investor’s money. A cursory internet search could have revealed this to the unfortunate party, who assumed that as it was a globally recognized company it must be trustworthy.

Preventing Fraud- Online Advice

With that in mind here are five steps to protect you against fraud.

1) Use Companies House – This is basic but important – check that the company is real by doing a search on www.companieshouse.gov.uk/ .

2) Check the Financial statements – All registered companies must file financial statements with Companies House and these are part of the public record so you can check if they are in good health.

3) Do a general internet search – if other people have been scammed by an organisation then they are likely to report it on the internet, so do a quick search to see if anything has been reported about the organisation.

4) Follow the Conversation on Twitter – Search for the hashtag #fraudweek on Twitter for real time updates and information about Fraud Week. That allows you to get involved with your thoughts and
questions and find quick answers to your problems.

5) Set up a Google Alert – If you are not sure about a company, visit the Google Alerts tab. This can prompt Google to send all new info about a business to you as soon as it is released.
At the tabs at the top of Gmail select ‘more’ on the far right, and then select ‘even more’ at the bottom of the drop down menu. Alerts will then be the first option you see and the rest is self explanatory.

If you are worried about any type of fraud, whether online or offline, contact Forensic Accounting Services to see if we can help on 01454 203 778.