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Quick Look Course Summary:Fraud Prevention and Control in an Office Environment (3 days)
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Length: 3 day(s)
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Price (at your venue): 1 Person R 14,997 EX VAT 3 Person R 11,205 EX VAT 10 Person R 8,120 EX VAT
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Certification Type:Non-Accredited
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Locations & Venues: Off-site or in-house. We train in all major city centres throughout South Africa.
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Fraud Prevention and Control in an Office Environment (3 days)
Staff who recognise fraud early, apply the controls that stop it, and know exactly what to do when something looks wrong.
Most office fraud is not sophisticated. It is a changed bank account on a supplier invoice, a ghost employee on the payroll, an inflated expense claim or a purchase that skips approval. It succeeds because the people closest to the paperwork do not recognise the warning signs, or do not know what to do about them. This fraud prevention training gives office, finance and administrative staff the knowledge to spot, prevent and report fraud in their daily work.
Day one explains how fraud happens: the main types of occupational fraud, the fraud triangle, common schemes in South African offices such as business email compromise and procurement fraud, and the legal framework – fraud as a common-law crime, the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act and its duty to report, the Protected Disclosures Act, the Cybercrimes Act and POPIA. Day two covers detection and internal investigation: red flags, analysing trends and the cost of fraud, simple data checks in Excel, and how to preserve evidence and support an investigation properly. Day three focuses on control: segregation of duties, authorisation limits, reconciliations, supplier verification, fraud risk assessments and a culture in which people speak up.
Case studies, document exercises and a fraud risk review of a real office process keep the course practical. Legal content is general guidance, not legal advice.
Why this course
For your organisation
- Earlier detection of fraud and smaller losses
- Stronger controls over payments, suppliers, payroll and expenses
- Staff who understand their reporting duties and protections
- Evidence handled properly if a matter goes to a hearing or to the SAPS
- A visible anti-fraud culture that deters wrongdoing
For your delegates
- A clear picture of how office fraud is committed and concealed
- A red-flag checklist for invoices, claims, payroll and supplier changes
- Confidence about what to do – and what not to do – when you suspect fraud
- Practical control and risk-review tools for your own processes
What delegates will be able to do
- Explain what fraud is and how it differs from theft, corruption and honest error
- Describe the common types of office fraud and how they are concealed
- Outline the main South African laws on fraud, corruption reporting and whistle-blowing
- Recognise red flags in documents, transactions and behaviour
- Follow internal procedures for reporting suspected fraud and preserving evidence
- Analyse fraud trends and estimate their financial and reputational impact
- Apply preventive and detective controls to everyday office processes
- Carry out a basic fraud risk assessment of a process in your own office
- Contribute to a workplace culture in which fraud is reported, not ignored
Who should attend
Office administrators, finance and accounts staff, creditors and payroll clerks, procurement and buying staff, internal auditors, risk and compliance officers, office managers, business owners and HR practitioners – anyone who handles payments, documents, suppliers or staff records.
Course outline
Day 1 – How fraud happens and the law
Understanding fraud
- Fraud in South African law: misrepresentation and prejudice
- Fraud versus theft, corruption, error and negligence
- The fraud triangle: pressure, opportunity and rationalisation
- Who commits fraud: insiders, outsiders and collusion
Types of office fraud
- Misappropriation of cash, stock and equipment
- Payment, invoice and supplier fraud
- Payroll fraud and ghost employees
- Expense claim and petty cash fraud
- Procurement fraud, kickbacks and conflicts of interest
- Document forgery and identity fraud
Fraud in the digital office
- Business email compromise and changed bank details
- Phishing, social engineering and impersonation calls
- Password sharing and access abuse
- Data theft and its POPIA consequences
The legal framework
- Fraud as a common-law crime
- The Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act and the duty to report
- The Protected Disclosures Act and protection for whistle-blowers
- The Cybercrimes Act and POPIA
- Consequences for individuals and for the organisation
- General guidance, not legal advice
Day 2 – Detecting and investigating fraud
Red flags
- Warning signs in documents: altered, duplicate or round-number invoices
- Warning signs in transactions and their timing
- Behavioural signs: lifestyle changes, refusal to take leave, tight control of records
- Tip-offs and anonymous reports
Analysing trends and impact
- Patterns in the organisation's own incidents
- Industry and national fraud trends
- Measuring direct losses, investigation costs and reputational damage
- Simple data checks in Excel: duplicates, gaps, outliers and supplier-employee matches
Internal investigation processes
- What to do, and what not to do, when you suspect fraud
- Who investigates: line management, internal audit or forensic specialists
- Preserving paper and electronic evidence
- Chain of custody and record-keeping
- Interviews and the support role of office staff
- Confidentiality and protecting the person who reported
From investigation to outcome
- Reporting to the SAPS and other authorities
- Disciplinary action for dishonesty and fair procedure
- Recovering losses
- Case study: a supplier bank-detail fraud from report to outcome
Day 3 – Controlling fraud
Internal controls that prevent fraud
- Segregation of duties
- Authorisation limits and approval workflows
- Reconciliations and independent checks
- Access control for systems, cash and stock
- Verifying new suppliers and bank-detail changes
- Mandatory leave and job rotation
Fraud risk assessment
- Mapping a process and its weak points
- Rating likelihood and impact
- Choosing preventive and detective controls
- Keeping a fraud risk register
Building an anti-fraud culture
- Tone at the top and a fraud policy
- Codes of conduct, gifts and conflicts of interest
- Fraud awareness for all staff
- Making reporting safe and simple
Workplace application
- Group fraud risk review of a real office process
- Your personal action plan
- Evaluation and close
How it is delivered
Three days, 08:30-16:00. In person at your offices anywhere in South Africa, at a BOTI venue, or live online. One delegate or a group of up to 20; case studies can be built around your own processes on request. Workbook, red-flag checklists and a fraud risk assessment template included. We deliver it at your offices in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Cape Town and anywhere else in South Africa, at a BOTI venue in Johannesburg, or live online for teams in different places.
What our clients say
“All training programmes were delivered in a highly professional manner, with effective coordination and strict adherence to our scheduling requirements. The facilitators demonstrated a commendable level of expertise, and the quality of delivery consistently met our expectations.”
“BOTI demonstrated professionalism, sound subject knowledge, and effective facilitation throughout the training. The programme was well organised, relevant and beneficial to our delegates.”
“Business Optimization Training Institute facilitated Microsoft Excel Training for our company. The course was efficiently scheduled and planned around our timetable. We were impressed by the quality of training.”
Frequently asked questions
Can you run this course at our offices?
Yes. Most groups are trained at the client's premises anywhere in South Africa; we can also host it at a BOTI venue or deliver it live online.
How many people can attend?
From one delegate to groups of about 20. Training finance, procurement and admin staff together works well, because many frauds cross departmental lines.
Is it accredited?
No – it is a non-accredited short course and delegates receive a BOTI certificate of attendance.
Will this train our staff to be fraud investigators?
No. It prepares staff to prevent, recognise and report fraud and to support an investigation properly. Formal investigations should be led by internal audit, forensic specialists or the SAPS.
Can the case studies reflect our business?
Yes. Share a few anonymised incidents or a process you are worried about, and the facilitator builds them into the exercises and the risk review.
Is the legal content legal advice?
No. The course explains the law in general terms so that staff understand their duties; for a specific matter, speak to your legal adviser.
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