ACFE Calgary - Bitten Twice: Why Fraud Returns to the Scene and How to Break the Cycle (plus Annual General Meeting)

Bitten Twice: Why Fraud Returns to the Scene and How to Break the Cycle

The case is closed and the fraudster is gone. So why does fraud so often strike the same organization again? Research on repeat victimization shows that a prior incident is one of the strongest predictors of the next one, and the ACFE's 2026 Report to the Nations found that among fraudsters with a disciplinary history, more than half had previously been disciplined by the very organization they went on to defraud. This session examines why the conditions that invited the first scheme often survive the investigation, and what fraud examiners can do about it. Topics include the consequences that deter repeat offenders, remediation that actually gets completed, the role of a timely post-incident fraud risk assessment, and writing report recommendations that prevent the second bite. Participants will receive a practical post-incident review checklist they can apply to their next file, along with strategies for answering the question every audit committee eventually asks: could this happen again?