Brandy Derrick

Let’s talk about something that should keep every business owner up at night. Identity verification fraud is rising fast. Not just the sloppy kind. The sophisticated, tech powered, AI assisted kind. Criminals are no longer guessing passwords in their basement. They are building full synthetic identities, manipulating documents, and using automation to slip through weak … Read more

An accountant in Utah was recently sentenced after fraudulently obtaining more than $221,000 in Paycheck Protection Program funds. Let that sink in. Over two hundred thousand dollars. This was not a clerical mistake. This was not “rounding up.” This was intentional fraud tied to government relief funds that were meant to help businesses survive. Here … Read more

Why waiting until the payment is signed leaves you blind, tired, and losing money Let’s get real about fraud. Most teams wait until a payment looks suspicious to raise the alarm. They look at the money move and ask Was this transaction bad? But here’s the truth. That moment is the end of the fraud … Read more

The Department of the Treasury just made it easier for people to report financial misconduct. They launched a dedicated whistleblower webpage where individuals can submit tips about fraud, money laundering, sanctions violations, and other financial crimes. In certain cases, those whistleblowers can receive financial rewards if their tip leads to enforcement action. Let that sink … Read more

A former accountant is now facing 68 felony charges tied to financial misconduct. Think about that number for a second. Sixty-eight. That is not one mistake. That is not a simple bookkeeping error. That is a breakdown of oversight, internal controls, and trust. Most business owners read stories like this and think, “That would never … Read more

Let’s talk about something most business owners don’t see coming. You get an order.It looks legitimate.The customer has an account.The login checks out.Payment processes. Then a chargeback hits. The real customer says, “That wasn’t me.” Now you’re out the product, the revenue, the shipping, the fees, and possibly your reputation. Here’s the hard truth. In … Read more

Here is the uncomfortable truth.Fraud does not always come from a random hacker in another country. Sometimes it comes from inside the building. Sometimes it comes from the CFO. In the recent Zadeh Kicks case, a CFO received prison time for bank fraud conspiracy tied to an online sneaker resale business. The company took millions … Read more

When you see headlines about a company founder being indicted by federal prosecutors, it is easy to think, “That has nothing to do with me.” Big company. Big money. Big problems. But here is the uncomfortable truth. Fraud at the top rarely starts big. It starts with pressure. It grows with rationalization. And it survives … Read more

A North Carolina bookkeeper was recently sentenced to 57 months in federal prison after stealing nearly one million dollars from three small businesses. She handled payroll, bill pay, and taxes. She also created fake vendors and unauthorized wire transfers to hide the theft. By the time it was uncovered, the damage was done. Prison time … Read more

Check fraud is no longer a “rare event.” Criminals are targeting mailed checks by stealing them from mailboxes, altering them or creating counterfeit versions, and turning them into real cash before anyone notices. This isn’t small-time theft anymore. Recent reporting shows this trend is accelerating and costing victims billions of dollars a year. The Case … Read more