Part 1: Understanding the Scope and Impact of Fraud in Federal Programs
Fraud is a huge issue impacting all federal programs and operations. A recent report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) highlights just how big this problem is, estimating that the federal government loses between $233 billion and $521 billion annually to fraud based on data from fiscal years 2018 through 2022. Understanding these losses is crucial for effective fraud risk management if you’re a financial investigator, forensic accountant, or white-collar crime lawyer.
The GAO based its estimate on a detailed analysis of data from federal agencies, semiannual reports from the Office of Inspector General (OIG) and confirmed fraud data reported to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). These data sources are organized into three fraud categories:
- Adjudicated fraud
- Detected potential fraud and
- Undetected potential fraud.
This breakdown helps in understanding the different levels of certainty regarding fraud occurrences.
A significant finding of the GAO report is using a probabilistic method to estimate fraud losses, acknowledging the inherent uncertainties and limitations in the available data. This approach, known as the Monte Carlo simulation, provides a range of outcomes under various assumptions and scenarios.
The GAO report highlights the need for robust data analytics and fraud estimation techniques for financial investigators, forensic accountants, and white-collar crime lawyers. The report identifies several key challenges in fraud estimation, including data gaps, varying definitions, and the limited availability of fraud-related data. These challenges call for a strategic approach to fraud risk management, leveraging advanced data analytics to detect and prevent fraud more effectively.
Platforms like Sedra Solutions can play a pivotal role in addressing these challenges. Sedra eliminates the time, expense, and error of conventional forensic accounting by using its software platform backed by AI and machine learning to detect, prevent, and document financial crimes. The platform’s capabilities in data matching, network analysis, and predictive modeling can enhance the detection of fraud schemes that might otherwise go unnoticed.
Sedra Solutions also offers tools to analyze large datasets, identify patterns indicative of fraudulent activities, and provide actionable insights. These features are particularly valuable given the GAO’s emphasis on better data and more granular fraud estimates at the program level.
The GAO report provides a sobering view of the financial losses from fraud within federal programs. This highlights the critical need for advanced fraud detection tools and methodologies for financial investigation and forensic accounting professionals. Sedra Solutions is a robust platform that meets these needs, providing data-driven insights to combat fraud effectively.
Remember to read the full GAO report better to understand the extent of fraud in federal programs.
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