Little Frauds

Talking about fraud is not simple for many reasons. First, fraud can be an everyday issue that is confused on many occasions with opportunism. Secondly, many people think fraud only happens in the voting booths or in the large corporations where the great economic disasters take place. For some governments, people believe that all elections and transactions are pre-determined. Between those who do not believe fraud affects their daily lives and those who are engaged in fraud on a daily basis, there has been little public support to engage in an active discussion on how to eliminate this breach of ethics from our society. Today, it is necessary a social awakening to face those who either little by little, or by a lot have embezzled our economy.

Fraud has no size. There are no small, medium, or big frauds. Fraud is fraud. The impacts and losses may only be measured quantitatively by the monetary amounts, but the qualitative elements of time and emotional burden that all victims face are just as serious no matter the dollar amount. Fraud is immersed, or hidden, in many areas of ​​our society. Obviously, the companies are adopting preventive measures to mitigate this risk in some way to protect themselves. However, every day we see how fraudulent behaviors start when the rules of the most absurd events are broken such as cutting a line or running a stop sign or red light. In these cases, it is possible this conduct does not have measurable impacts or losses, but somehow the mere dishonest attempt to obtain undue advantage from another person or situation, even without generating a crime, is fraud.

Hence, fraud, as a social phenomenon, is not always based on the misappropriation of money but also the misuses of corporate assets as part of such disastrous corporate events. In many cases, the calculation of losses is very difficult to execute. Therefore, whoever borrows money from the petty cash for their personal expenses during the week, is committing the same act of fraud as those who took the money from all the investors and concealed it in tax havens. Clearly, the impact of the losses is very different in both cases due to the scope, method, and amount of money. However, they are both equally immoral.

Media has helped to bring awareness to the most elaborate frauds in our world. In these famous   cases, complex business structures, international transactions, and property increases stand out as the most typical characteristics. Nevertheless, in many cases, the full impact of the fraud and its consequences is impossible to calculate even with the best and most skilled forensic teams. Conversely, most of the frauds that are discovered are not reported. Due to experiencing shame and pain, the victims might not pursue prosecution against their fraudsters. Reporting fraud to the authorities and creating media awareness may prevent the perpetrators from continuing their corrosive practice and saving future potential victims from these crimes.

The so-called small frauds committed every day in several companies affect our community. When all these "small" frauds are added up, the total consequences from these events are incalculable. Perpetrators increase their fortune little by little at the expense of society. They think their behavior has a sense and explanation, and they can live in timeless anonymity with no legal consequences. Sometimes, in certain cases, they can even be admired for their hoaxes. Fraud is fraud, and it has no size. The economic consequences can be measured, but the ethics violation has no price.

Edited by Christopher Bonk