Fraud: Consumer v. Professional

Howell Haunson wrote a great post about spotting fraud perpetrators. Thankfully his audience was industry insiders (in this case it was mortgage and real estate industry professionals).

In many industries, education is focused on fraud spotting and "red flags" as it pertains to the consumer. That is

Will Your Son Wind Up In Prison?

I had the unfortunate experience of serving a little over a year in federal prison. I took notes and have come up with what I believe to be a pretty accurate profile of a would-be inmate. To those of you who are mothers and fathers, this might explain a lot!

His name is Bubba
This one can easily be avoided. There are literally tens of thousands of other names to choose from. All you have to do is pick one of these other names. Caution: think twice about choosing a girl’s name – just in case. If you’ve named your daughter Bubba – why?

Has a hairy back
Sorry to say folks but its true. Prisons are full of hairy backed men. I don’t know if children with hairy backs

You Might Be A Criminal If...

The National Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) compiled a list of behavioral red flags from almost 1,000 case studies. Their research indicates that, to varying degrees, these behaviors were present in the fraud cases that they studied. If you exhibit some or all of these behaviors, you just might be a would-be felon.

Use your best Jeff Foxworthy voice and say each one of these aloud to see if they apply to you. Start by saying, "If you (insert red flag), you might be a criminal."

* are living beyond your means
* have financial difficulties