SWD urges public to be alert to fraudulent website

     The Social Welfare Department (SWD) today (August 31) alerted members of the public to not open or respond to any emails or SMS messages associated with a fraudulent website, which purports to be the website of the SWD (hxxps[:]//service-svvd[.]cc). Members of the public are also advised not to provide any personal information to the website.

     The fraudulent website attempts to lure members of the public to click on unknown hyperlinks embedded for stealing their personal information. The SWD emphasises that the website has no connection with the department and has referred the case to the Police for follow-up.

     Anyone who has provided his or her personal information to the website concerned should contact the Police….

CLICK HERE to read the FULL SWD urges public to be alert to fraudulent website article.

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.