Pictured: The VADeed Alert Logo, pardon the missing Eastern Shore.
By Linda Cicoira
Circuit court clerks in both Eastern Shore of Virginia counties announced this week the local launch of VADeed Alert, which sends county property owners an electronic notification whenever a document is filed that matches their name or tax map/parcel ID number.
These alerts can serve as early warnings for potential fraud, such as unauthorized deed transfers or filings.
“Deed fraud is a growing concern nationwide,” said Clerk Traci Johnson of Northampton and Clerk Talia Taylor of Accomack. “VADeed Alert gives property owners a simple and effective way to stay informed and take quick action if something doesn’t look right.”
The service does not prevent documents from being recorded, nor does it validate the legality of a filing. Instead, it serves as an additional layer of…
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.