13 Mar Payment fraud: a potential risk for companies and its prevention by financial management
In today’s business world, where digitization and connectivity have accelarated financial processes, payment fraud risks have also risen. From compromised email attacks (BEC) to sophisticated deepfake fraud, threats are constantly evolving putting companies’s financial security at risk. Given this outlook, CFOs must adopt a proactive and strategic role in preventing these crimes.
One of the major risks comes from spear phishing, where cibercriminals exploit vulnerabilities in the authentication and access procedures. With a well-orchestrated strategy, fraudsters manage to fool event the best-trained employees, diverting funds through fraudulent payments. If we add to this the possibility that former employees keep having access to bank accounts or financial operations lacking adequate checks, then the scenario becomes even more worrying.
According to recent studies, 60% of organizations have registered an increase in overall fraud levels during the last 12 months, partly due to the digitization of business processes. This emphasizes that traditional systems of payment are still an easy target for criminals. The sophistication of attacks have also allowed deepfake frauds to proliferate, in which high executive’s voice are forged and can fool employees into making illicit transactions.
In light of this reality, the solution is not limited to technology, but to the combination of advanced tools with a robust organizational culture in fraud prevention. The standardization of workflows, the implementation of multi-factor authentication and the constant monitoring of bank accounts and suspicious transactions must become fundamental pillars of modern financial management.
It is crucial that companies adopt real-time fraud detection solutions and payment monitoring systems that alert them of unusual activity. A payment to a new account, a transaction to a country where the company has no known suppliers or a change in a payment order previously registered in the ERP are some signals that should generate an immediate alert. In addition, the separation of functions within the financial team is a fundamental measure to reduce risks. Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
However, the best defense remains continuous training and the creation of a culture of fraud awareness. It is not enough to implement advanced technology if employees are not trained to recognize and respond to threats. Prevention must become a natural part of organizations, ensuring that each team member understands his or her role in protecting the company’s financial assets.
Fraud not only poses a financial threat, it also poses a risk to the integrity of the entire enterprise. Using advanced techniques, fraudsters look for vulnerabilities in processes to exploit every weakness. Therefore, prevention is the best defense. CFOs have a responsibility to lead the fight against fraud by integrating technology, secure processes and a prevention-oriented organizational culture. This is the only way to ensure that their companies do not fall victim to a crime that, in addition to economic losses, can cause irreparable damage to their reputation and trust in the market.
Esther Nieto Cabrera, Partner – Director of All CMS.
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