Page 45 - Banking Finance October 2024
P. 45

ARTICLE

             manipulation of books of account or through fictitious  Periodical changes in incumbencies
             accounts and conversion of property.
                                                                 Red-flagged accounts
             Unauthorized credit facilities extended for reward or
             for illegal gratification.                       Identifying & Declaring Fraud
             Negligence  and cash shortages.                     All cases, regardless of the amount  involved, must
                                                                 be presented to the Competent Authority for thorough
             Cheating and forgery.
                                                                 examination  to  determine  whether  they  constitute
             Irregularities  in foreign exchange transactions.   fraud. This includes cases where a fraudulent angle
             Any other type of fraud not coming under the specific  is  suspected  or  established,  investigations  are
             heads as above                                      initiated  by  central/state  agencies,  complaints  are
                                                                 lodged by other banks/consortium/customers, or when
          Detecting Frauds sources                               directed  by the Reserve  Bank of India.  Suspected
          Fraudulent  activities  can  be  detected  through  various  instances noted during audits are documented in the
          triggers, including:                                   Audit Report as Suspected Frauds.
             Customer complaints
                                                              Reporting of Frauds
             Alerts from investigating  agencies
                                                                 Banks must promptly report all frauds amounting to
             Media  reports
                                                                 Rs.  1.00  lakh  and  above  to  their  Boards  upon
             Whistleblower complaints                            detection.
             Anonymous/pseudonymous complaints with verifiable   Information regarding  frauds is typically  presented
             facts                                               quarterly  to  the Audit Committee of  the  Board  of
                                                                 Directors.
             Audits  and inspections  (internal and external)
                                                                 Banks should conduct an annual review of fraud cases
             Periodical  verification of customer information
                                                                 and provide a summary to the Board of Directors for
             Reconciliation of office  accounts
                                                                 informational purposes
             Observations during  controllers' visits
                                                              Pillars of Fraud Risk Management:
                                                              Banks  employ  a  multi-layered  approach  to  fraud  risk
                                                              management, with each pillar playing a  critical role in
                                                              safeguarding customer finances.  Here's a  deeper dive
                                                              into these  essential  components:

                                                              Risk Assessment and Profiling
                                                                 Conducting  comprehensive  risk  assessments  is
                                                                 fundamental  to  identifying  and  understanding
                                                                 potential vulnerabilities within a  bank's operations.
                                                                 By analyzing  historical data, emerging trends,  and
                                                                 regulatory  requirements,  banks  can  develop  risk
                                                                 profiles that prioritize areas susceptible to fraudulent
                                                                 activities.  This  enables  proactive  measures  to  be
                                                                 implemented to mitigate identified risks effectively.


                                                              People and Culture
                                                                 Employee  Training:  Regular  training  programs

            40 | 2024 | OCTOBER                                                            | BANKING FINANCE
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