Page 223 - ACFE Fraud Reports 2009_2020

Perpetrator’s Age

More than half of the fraud cases we studied involved a fraudster over the age of 40, and over one-third of
the schemes were perpetrated by individuals between the ages of 41 and 50. The distribution of ages was very
similar to that from our 2006 study.

Age of Perpetrator — Frequency

3.9%
>60 2.8% 2008
51-60 15.4% 18.9% 35.5% 2006
Age of Perpetrator 36-40 12.8% 16.2% 34.6%
41-50
16.4%
31-35
26-30 8.1% 16.1%
8.8%
4.6%
<26 6.0%
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40%
Percent of Cases

Generally speaking, higher-level positions within a company are occupied by more experienced employees,
meaning that older individuals often hold positions with more authority over and access to company re-
sources. This likely explains why the median loss from fraud in our study rose as the age of the perpetrator
increased. schemes perpetrated by individuals in their 50s resulted in a median loss of $500,000, twice as
high as any age bracket below them.

Number of Perpetrators — Median Loss Age of Perpetrator — Median Loss

$500,000
$435,000
$500,000
$400,000
$250,000
$300,000
Median Loss $200,000 $145,000

$113,000
$100,000 $50,000
$25,000
$0
<26 26-30 31-35 36-40 41-50 51-60 >60
Age of Perpetrator

47

2008 Report to the Nation on occupational Fraud and abuse