
Fraud’s economic effects are clear — private companies are less financially healthy and stable, the quality of public services is reduced, individual citizens have less disposable income and charities are deprived of resources needed for charitable purposes. In every sector in every country, fraud has a serious and detrimental impact on the quality of life. That financial cost is surely the worst aspect of the problem. Yes, fraud is unethical, immoral and unlawful; yes, the individuals who are proven to have been involved should be punished; yes, the sums lost to fraud need to be traced and recovered. However, these are actions which take place after the fraud losses have happened – after the resources have been diverted from where they were intended and after the economic damage has occurred.
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