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Early in the 90’s, back in my corporate America days, some home office AVP decided that our company needed a “community presence.” It was ordered that all investigative personnel were to make themselves available for public speaking engagements. Each of us was charged with the duty of enlightening the public on issues of fraud.
That particular dictum was one of the few orders to emanate from the home office that I respected, both then and now. Education of the public, I believe, is our industry’s primary weapon in the war against fraud.
My own response to that home office order was to register with the local speaker’s bureau and to be listed in their twice-a-year guide. “Schemes, Scams & Flim-Flams” proved to be a popular topic and the Lions, Rotarians, Elks, Ladies Clubs, etc., ate it up. And while I canceled the listing long ago, the calls continue to pour in to this day.
And so it was that I found myself addressing a group of more than 50 blue-haired ladies last week—enlightening them on the perils of insurance and financial fraud. The topic matter, all by itself, is enough to keep the audience on the edge of their seats. The question/answer period gets wild: “Is it safe to give a credit card number over the phone? How do I know if my bank will stand behind me in a fraud? Etc.
I urge each and every one of you to make yourself available in a similar fashion because an educated public is far more difficult to victimize than an uneducated public. Besides, it’s just plain good business. It’s also one of those rare situations in which everyone wins (except the fraudsters).
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