The Office of the New York Attorney General’s regional offices address important matters of social and economic justice in the communities they serve by investigating and bringing action to protect consumers, civil rights, charitable donations, workers’ rights, and the environment. Each of our regional offices is deeply engaged in local community affairs; conducting outreach and educational presentations; and responding to New Yorkers’ complaints in critical areas such as elder abuse, consumer fraud, tenants’ rights, immigration services fraud, election fraud, and not-for-profit corporations.
Each regional office is headed by an Attorney in Charge and staffed with Assistant Attorneys General who represent the state, its officers, and agencies in court of claims, state, and federal court actions originating in their regions.
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PAYROLL & HR CONTROLS (PREVENTING “GHOST” SCHEMES)
Payroll fraud is often the hardest to detect because it “looks” like a normal business expense.
- Segregation of Duties (SoD): The person who adds new employees to the system must not be the same person who approves the monthly pay run.
- Mandatory Vacation Policy: Require all financial and HR staff to take 5–10 consecutive days of leave annually. Fraud often surfaces when the perpetrator isn’t there to “hide” the trail.
- Ghost Employee Audit: Perform a quarterly “Headcount Reconciliation” where managers must physically verify every name on their payroll list exists.
- Self-Pay Blocking: Ensure the payroll software has a hard-coded block preventing administrators from editing their own salary or bank details.