Commercial Fraud

SA Law’s Fraud team is made up of experienced dispute resolution and employment lawyers that act swiftly and decisively if a fraud has occurred.

SA Law can help you address the different forms of fraud, from accusations of false invoice payments to securing lucrative contracts through corruption. When you suspect a fraud has taken place you need to be careful not to tip-off the fraudster and give them time to dissipate the assets. Contact us immediately and we can take the necessary steps to trace and freeze the assets.

It’s a sobering statistic that one in five SMEs have been the victim of an employee fraud according to the National Fraud and Cyber Crime Reporting Centre. There are many reasons why employees commit fraud. It could be due to personal financial pressures or greed. A lack of robust internal controls makes such opportunities hard for a dishonest employee to resist. When dealing with instances of, or suspicions of, employee fraud it is important that you do not overlook your obligations under employment law. We will help you to undertake a robust investigation without infringing an employees rights.

How we help you

• We can take appropriate action to recover what is yours, which can include claims against anyone who has assisted the fraudster, or received part or all of the assets.
• We can help to review your internal processes to identify areas that invite fraud. For example, are employees with authority able to approve payments subject to spot checks?

It’s good to bear in mind...

• Learn the warning signs that indicate fraud is being committed, such as an employee whose lifestyle seems to be out of sync with their salary. Subtler signs are employees who rarely take annual leave, are first to arrive and last to leave, and who refuse to delegate. The first steps you take in a fraud situation often determine the prospect of success, so act quickly and strategically, and try not to let emotion cloud your judgement.
• We work with a network of trusted advisors from forensic accounts to crisis PR specialists who can help trace the assets and manage the reputational damage. Our extended team are available to when you need them.