Payroll fraud takes many forms and new threats emerge all the time. Some scams exploit weaknesses and blind spots within your business and payroll systems, and some undermine from outside.
The key is to know what to look for and have a payroll system and process designed for transparency and oversight.
Seven common types of payroll fraud
- Impersonation scams – external parties access employee information through email or ‘phishing’ and redirect employee funds.
- Supplier collusion – contractors inflate their claim for hours worked or manipulate financial data to receive performance-based bonuses.
- Unpaid Advances – an employee requests an advance on their pay and then never repays it.
- Ghost employees – payroll staff create a fake employee profile and redirect fraudulent payments to their own account.
- Pay rate alteration – employees collude with the payroll administrator to increase the level of their hourly rate in the payroll system.
- Buddy punching – employees punch each other’s hours into the company time clock to claim un-earned wages.
- Unauthorised hours – employees pad-out time sheets, usually in small enough increments to escape the notice of managers.
Download the FREE checklist – Seven Common Types of Payroll Fraud
Don’t forget to watch the video presentation from Jacqui Birch, Aurion BPOS payroll expert, on the nature and common types of payroll fraud.
About the Author
Joy Richardson
General Manager of Client Engagement
Joy has worked with Aurion since January 2012 and is a specialist in developing and managing a quality management system, information security management system and risk management framework that complies to People and Payroll Solutions.
