By David Shepardson
DISH Wireless, a subsidiary of US telecoms giant EchoStar, has agreed to pay $17.3 million to ?resolve a U.S. government fraud investigation.
The probe examined whether the company signed up ?ineligible consumers to take part in a pandemic-era program that provided subsidized broadband services to millions of Americans.
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PROCUREMENT & EXPENDITURE (STOPPING KICKBACKS)
Procurement fraud usually involves inflated invoices or “fictitious” vendors.
- The Three-Way Match: Never pay an invoice unless you have matched the Purchase Order (PO), the Delivery Note (signed), and the Supplier Invoice.
- Vendor Master File Review: Review your vendor list annually. Look for suppliers with the same bank details or physical addresses as your employees.
- Dual Authorization: Implement a “Two-to-Sign” rule for all EFT payments above a certain threshold (e.g., R5,000).
- No “Cashing” of Checks: If you still use physical checks, strictly prohibit “Cash” as a payee and store blank checks in a dual-lock safe.