13 November 2018 
Emma Keenan, Procurement Specialist
So, after spending several hours trawling the internet and jumping around all kinds of topics (some more useful than others!), I decided there must be a starting point. This point I think is a focus on training. Educating all staff on the basics must be the best first sensible step any institution can make. On the BUFDG website the free Introduction to Counter Fraud e learning can be accessed by anyone in a university and will arm each and every person with some key skills to identify where the risks are what to do about any suspicious behaviour.
Following that, the Universities who seem to be doing well in this area are those where they have a good reporting network. Creating an environment where colleagues can easily and safely report anything out of the ordinary to a specific person will mean, not only clear visibility of all unusual behaviour, but it will also encourage openness and discourage the potential for internal fraud.
I can see that BUFDG is already supporting the university sector by helping those affected by fraud to share their experiences. The well-used discussion boards are available to all members and can be used to post information on new fraudulent activity (and remember you can also tick the box to remain anonymous if you'd like).They can also be used as a great source of information for past events. The boards are searchable and almost all messages have a name attached so you can contact a peer directly to ask for their advice on the specific topic.
I found great information on the Fraud website pages here. A flowchart for fraud theft, as well as a Toolkit which provides a policy detailing a typical University Fraud Response Plan are both excellent. I hope to build on the resources available as well as ensure our material is always kept up to date.
