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FOREWORD
The 2020 Report to the Nations—the ACFE’s 11 study on the costs
th
and effects of occupational fraud—represents the latest in a series of
reports dating back to the first edition published in 1996. Collectively,
these studies represent countless hours of work by our staff spent
gathering, analyzing, and interpreting the data from thousands of cas-
es of fraud committed against organizations of all types and sizes. We
have invested so much time and effort into this research because we
recognize two simple truths: (1) occupational fraud imposes tremen-
Bruce Dorris, J.D., CFE, CPA dous costs upon businesses and government agencies throughout
President and CEO, the world; and (2) in order to deal with such a problem, we must first
Association of Certified understand it. In the 24 years since it was first published, the Report
Fraud Examiners to the Nations has arguably contributed more to our understanding of
occupational fraud than any other source of information.
The first Report to the Nation was launched in 1996 by ACFE Founder,
Dr. Joseph T. Wells, CFE, CPA, because he recognized that there was
a glaring lack of information about occupational fraud. More impor-
tantly, he also recognized that the ACFE was uniquely situated to
address this problem because we were sitting on what was probably
the greatest source of fraud information in the world—the collective
knowledge and experiences of the Certified Fraud Examiners who
make up our association.
Over the years, the ACFE has received a great deal of praise and
credit for publishing the Report to the Nations, which is the most
widely quoted source of occupational fraud data in the world. But
none of this would be possible without the work of thousands of CFEs
who have taken the time to share with us very detailed information
about the cases they have investigated and the lessons they have
learned. I am reminded that this is why we have an association like
the ACFE in the first place—so that our members can share infor-
mation, contribute to the common body of knowledge, and learn
from one another. The ACFE is proud to be the conduit helping to
broadcast and transmit that information, but make no mistake: It is
our members who are the source of every piece of data contained in
these pages. This study is a tribute to the important work they do and
their willingness to give back to the profession.
On behalf of the ACFE and all of the CFEs who have contributed to
this study, I am proud to present the 2020 edition of the Report to
the Nations.
Bruce Dorris, J.D., CFE, CPA
President and CEO, Association of Certified Fraud Examiners
2 Foreword Report to the Nations
