ICYMI: In Case You Missed It
As we celebrate National Small Business Week, PPSI’s first-of-its-kind national survey, expert briefing, and op-ed in Fortune highlight an urgent and underreported threat to Main Street.
WASHINGTON, May 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — As the country celebrates National Small Business Week (May 3–9, 2026), the Public Private Strategies Institute (PPSI) is sharing recent body of work that puts a hard number on a massive threat to America’s entrepreneurs: fraud, scams, and ransomware.
A first-of-its-kind national survey, expert briefing, and firsthand account published in Fortune reveal the size, scope and real-world consequences to businesses and the US economy.
The Survey: $131B Hidden Tax on Small Business
The survey of more than 500 small business owners conducted by Morning Consult for PPSI, is the first to…
This category refers to crimes committed by employees or insiders against their own organizations. It is often the most damaging because the perpetrator has authorized access to systems.
- Asset Misappropriation: The most common form, involving the theft of company resources. This ranges from simple “skimming” (taking cash before it’s recorded) to complex schemes involving the theft of inventory or intellectual property.
- Payroll Fraud: Employees may create “ghost employees” on the system, falsify their own timesheets to claim unworked overtime, or divert salary payments to their own accounts.
- Financial Statement Fraud: Management deliberately misrepresents the company’s financial health by inflating revenue or hiding liabilities to attract investors or meet performance bonuses.