How people rationalize fraud - Kelly Richmond Pope
-
0:07 - 0:10If you ask people whether
they think stealing is wrong, -
0:10 - 0:12most of them would answer, "Yes."
-
0:12 - 0:17And yet, in 2013, organizations
all over the world -
0:17 - 0:22lost an estimated total
of 3.7 trillion dollars to fraud, -
0:22 - 0:24which includes crimes like embezzlement,
-
0:24 - 0:26pyramid schemes,
-
0:26 - 0:29and false insurance claims.
-
0:29 - 0:31This wasn't just the work
of a few bad apples. -
0:31 - 0:34The truth is that many people
are susceptible -
0:34 - 0:36not only to the temptation
to commit fraud -
0:36 - 0:41but to convincing themselves
that they've done nothing wrong. -
0:41 - 0:43So why does fraud happen?
-
0:43 - 0:46While individual motivations
may differ from case to case, -
0:46 - 0:48the fraud triangle,
-
0:48 - 0:51a model developed
by criminologist Donald Cressey, -
0:51 - 0:54shows three conditions
that make fraud likely: -
0:54 - 0:58pressure, opportunity,
and rationalization. -
0:58 - 1:03Pressure is often what motivates someone
to engage in fraud to begin with. -
1:03 - 1:04It could be a personal debt,
-
1:04 - 1:05an addiction,
-
1:05 - 1:07an earnings quota,
-
1:07 - 1:08a sudden job loss,
-
1:08 - 1:10or an illness in the family.
-
1:10 - 1:14As for opportunity, many people
in both public and private sectors -
1:14 - 1:19have access to tools that enable them
to commit and conceal fraud: -
1:19 - 1:21corporate credit cards,
-
1:21 - 1:23internal company data,
-
1:23 - 1:25or control over the budget.
-
1:25 - 1:26The combination of pressure
-
1:26 - 1:30and being exposed to such opportunities
on a daily basis -
1:30 - 1:32can create a strong temptation.
-
1:32 - 1:34But even with these two elements,
-
1:34 - 1:38most fraud still requires rationalization.
-
1:38 - 1:41Many fraudsters are first time offenders,
-
1:41 - 1:44so in order to commit an act
most would regard as wrong, -
1:44 - 1:47they need to justify it to themselves.
-
1:47 - 1:51Some feel entitled to the money
because they are underpaid and overworked -
1:51 - 1:54and others believe
their fraud is victimless, -
1:54 - 1:58perhaps even planning to return
the money once their crisis is resolved. -
1:58 - 2:01Some of the most common types of fraud
-
2:01 - 2:04don't even register as such
to the perpetrator. -
2:04 - 2:08Examples include employees
fudging time sheets or expense reports, -
2:08 - 2:11taxpayers failing to report cash earnings,
-
2:11 - 2:15or service providers overbilling
insurance companies. -
2:15 - 2:17Though these may seem small,
-
2:17 - 2:20and can sometimes
only involve hundreds of dollars, -
2:20 - 2:23they all contribute to the big picture.
-
2:23 - 2:26And then there's fraud on a massive scale.
-
2:26 - 2:31In 2003, Italian dairy food giant
Parmalat went bankrupt -
2:31 - 2:37after it was found to have fabricated
a 4 billion dollar bank account -
2:37 - 2:39and falsified financial statements
-
2:39 - 2:43to hide the fact that its subsidiaries
had been losing money. -
2:43 - 2:45Because it was family controlled,
-
2:45 - 2:48corporate governance
and regulator supervision were difficult, -
2:48 - 2:51and the company likely hoped
that the losses could be recouped -
2:51 - 2:54before anyone found out.
-
2:54 - 2:56And it's not just corporate greed.
-
2:56 - 3:00Governments and non-profits
are also susceptible to fraud. -
3:00 - 3:04During her time as City Comptroller
for Dixon, Illinois, -
3:04 - 3:09Rita Crundwell embezzled
over 53 million dollars. -
3:09 - 3:12Rita was one of the country's leading
quarter horse breeders -
3:12 - 3:15and winner of 52 world championships.
-
3:15 - 3:21But the cost of maintaining the herd
ran to 200,000 dollars per month. -
3:21 - 3:25Because her position gave her complete
control over city finances, -
3:25 - 3:28she was easily able to divert money
-
3:28 - 3:30to an account she used
for private expenses, -
3:30 - 3:34and the scheme went
unnoticed for 20 years. -
3:34 - 3:37It is believed that Crundwell
felt entitled to a lavish lifestyle -
3:37 - 3:39based on her position,
-
3:39 - 3:43and the notoriety
her winnings brought to the city. -
3:43 - 3:45It's tempting to think of fraud
as a victimless crime -
3:45 - 3:50because corporations
and civic institutions aren't people. -
3:50 - 3:53But fraud harms real people
in virtually every case: -
3:53 - 3:56the employees of Parmalat
who lost their jobs, -
3:56 - 4:00the citizens of Dixon whose taxes
subsidized horse breeding, -
4:00 - 4:04the customers of companies
which raise their prices to offset losses. -
4:04 - 4:07Sometimes the effects are obvious
and devestating, -
4:07 - 4:12like when Bernie Madoff caused thousands
of people to lose their life savings. -
4:12 - 4:15But often they're subtle
and not easy to untangle. -
4:15 - 4:19Yet someone,
somewhere is left holding the bill.
- Title:
- How people rationalize fraud - Kelly Richmond Pope
- Description:
-
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-people-rationalize-fraud-kelly-richmond-pope
If you ask people whether they think stealing is wrong, most of them would answer yes. And yet, in 2013, organizations all over the world lost an estimated total of $3.7 trillion to fraud. Kelly Richmond Pope explains how the fraud triangle, (developed by criminologist Donald Cressey) can help us understand how seemingly good people can make unethical decisions in their daily lives.
Lesson by Kelly Richmond Pope, animation by TED-Ed.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TED-Ed
- Duration:
- 04:35
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