This has been facilitated by the move to online working and potential fraudsters becoming more sophisticated in how they operate. In particular, ransomware attacks seem to be increasingly prevalent.
As a result, we thought it would be useful to revisit ESFA guidance to academies on combatting fraud. Their last update was in March 2018, so although things have moved on, the guidance is still very relevant. We would encourage all academies to look at the guidance again.
The guidance covers the types of fraud (and discusses cyber fraud in some detail), what an anti-fraud strategy should look like, what your response plan should be as well as ESFA reporting requirements when a fraud occurs.
A link to the guidance is provided below;
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/academies-guide-to-reducing-any-risk-of-financial-irregularities
The guidance includes a useful checklist to make sure you have considered all of the areas you need to.
The next steps
If you would like to discuss any of the above, please contact Subarna Banerjee on s.banerjee@uhy-uk.com or visit our academy schools sector page.
