Payroll Fraud Prevention: Red Flags & Effective Controls 2.0 CPE

Payroll fraud is among the most common and expensive types of occupational fraud worldwide. According to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE), organizations lose approximately 5% of their revenue to fraud annually, with payroll schemes accounting for roughly 10-15% of occupational fraud cases globally. These schemes typically last a long time - often 18 months before detection - and can cause significant losses (25% of payroll fraud cases cost over $250,000 each).

This comprehensive course equips finance professionals with essential skills to detect, prevent, and combat payroll fraud. You'll master the critical aspects of payroll fraud prevention through practical, real-world scenarios that blend theoretical knowledge with actionable strategies.

• Identify common payroll fraud schemes: Discover the various deceptive methods fraudsters use to exploit payroll systems
• Recognize red flags and warning signs: Learn to spot subtle indicators that may signal fraudulent payroll activity
• Implement effective preventive controls: Explore key strategies to establish robust safeguards that prevent payroll fraud before it occurs
• Deploy detective controls: Gain insights into monitoring techniques that help identify suspicious activities early
• Leverage technology solutions: Understand how to use RPA (Robotic Process Automation) and AI (Artificial Intelligence) to enhance your fraud prevention capabilities

The course provides downloadable Payroll Red-Flag Cards that serve as quick reference guides for identifying the eight most common fraud indicators in payroll processing.

Whether you're a payroll specialist, accounting manager, controller, internal auditor, or finance professional, this course will sharpen your "fraud lens" and equip you with practical tools to protect your organization from costly payroll fraud schemes.

Prerequisites

No advanced preparation or prerequisites are required for this course.

Note: This course is also available in Text-Based format:
Payroll Fraud Prevention: Red Flags & Effective Controls (Text Based Course)

Learning Objective

1. Identify common payroll fraud schemes:
   • Recognize various deceptive methods fraudsters use to manipulate payroll systems for personal gain.
2. Detect red flags:
   • Identify and spot warning signs and indicators that may signal fraudulent payroll activity is occurring.
3. Analyze fraud scenarios:
   • Explore and apply knowledge to evaluate situations where multiple risk factors suggest potential fraud.
4. Implement preventive controls:
   • Explore and establish proactive measures designed to stop fraud before it occurs.
5. Deploy detective controls:
   • Discover and utilize monitoring techniques that help suspicious activities after they've occurred.
6. Leverage technology:
   • Identify and integrate manual controls with RPA and AI to enhance fraud prevention.

Last updated/reviewed: September 21, 2026