OF&A - EXPERTS ON SOLVING FRAUD CASES

The alarmingly high occurrence of Fraud makes it no surprise that the bulk of OF&A's business comes from solving Fraud cases. In addition, companies tend to avoid involving the police in internal Fraud cases, rather opting for private/forensic investigators. The result is that approximately 75% of OF&A's cases are Fraud related.

OF&A's founder and chief investigator, Ockie Fourie, explains that each Fraud case presents unique challenges and peculiarities, however, once a client has employed OF&A to solve a Fraud case, there are some standard procedures. The investigators perform an auditing exercise to determine how the Fraud was committed and where the money has gone.

The next step is to identify the perpetrators. Fourie says, "Often companies overlook the obvious, such as sudden increased spending by an employee. This is especially so if the employee is seen as loyal and dedicated to their job." Because OF&A come in as consultants, they can objectively look into a suspect's financial background as well as keep them under surveillance if necessary.

Once enough evidence has been gathered and there is sufficient proof, OF&A will present it in a full report to the client. Usually the client will confront the suspect with the evidence and either demand that the losses be paid back or have the suspect arrested by the SAP.

Fourie comments, "We leave no stone unturned to gather the necessary evidence. Our investigators will use any legal means. They are expertly trained to uncover Fraud. There is a lot of research involved in Fraud cases but if the evidence is there, we'll find it."