Alarming results emerge from a CRIF study on internal fraud in Italy: 81% of respondents agree that internal fraud is on the increase

The final data points to a fairly widespread awareness of the existence of internal fraud – those interviewed knows it often happens within companies and banking institutions alike – but at the same time shows a somewhat limited and passive approach to preventing and identifying it.

The most shocking result to emerge was in response to the survey’s opening question:  “In your opinion, is the risk of internal fraud increasing?”, to which 81% of respondents replied in the affirmative: YES. Not one single respondent declared that the risk of internal fraud was decreasing.
Sadly, internal fraud was shown to be quite common within CRIF clients’ companies: 58% of respondents claim that in the past their companies have been hit by internal fraud carried out by a company employee. The most common motivations for internal fraud were identified as absence or poor internal prevention methods (57%), job dissatisfaction (25%) and personal financial difficulties (43%) – all of which are typical factors in tough economic times such as the current economic crisis. 

Despite the clear evidence that internal fraud is a reality within Italian companies, it is worrying to note that many do not proactively try to avoid or prevent it: less than 1 respondent in 5 declared that no pre-employment screening is carried out on new employees to verify and certify candidates’ professional qualifications and work experience before hiring.

For further information on the CRIF Internal Fraud study, contact marketing@crif.com