Case In Point: Lessons for the Proactive Manager
Volume 18 Issue 06 | June 2026
Each summer I have the opportunity to teach a mini-semester course titled Fraud Examination in the Master of Accountancy program within the Harbert College of Business here at AU.
Coincidentally, the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners has recently released their Occupational Fraud 2026: A Report to the Nations, and the FBI has issued an advisory regarding imposter fraud. Given these developments, I thought I’d turn your attention to the topic of fraud this month.
Case in Point – Fraud & Ethics 2025 Stories
When reviewing news stories in this category from 2025, the following emerged as the top five categories
- Financial Aid Fraud
- Occupational Fraud
- Academic Fraud
- Financial Mismanagement
- Foreign Funds Related
This report has been published biennially for the past 30 years and examines trends in occupational fraud (i.e., when employees steal from their employer). According to the 2026 report, the most common types of occupational fraud in education are:
- Corruption
- Billing
- Expense Reimbursement
- Payroll
- Cash & Non-Cash
FBI Liaison Information Report (6/10/2026)
On June 10th the FBI sent out an advisory regarding the rise of imposter fraud targeting educational institutions and organizations. You may recall a similar wave of imposter fraud schemes in 2017. This scheme has resurfaced, and procurement staff should remain on high alert, giving particular attention to requests to change vendor banking information.
Three Fraud Related Suggestions for Your Institution
- Ensure your procurement professionals are aware of the vendor imposter fraud scheme and on high alert for changes to vendor files.
- Conduct fraud awareness and internal control training at your institution.
- Pay close attention to Case in Point’s Fraud & Ethics Category each month to monitor trends in this area.
As always, there are many risks that require ongoing attention in higher education. We encourage you to review these areas with a focus on proactive risk management and avoiding the negative headlines.
Kevin Robinson
Vice President
Institutional Compliance & Security
