New Guide to Combat Fraud in Emergency Relief and Recovery
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) Counter Fraud Centre has released a new guide to help organisations mitigate fraud risks during emergency relief and recovery efforts.
Guide to Managing Fraud During Emergency Relief and Recovery [PDF, 527 KB]
The guide offers practical tools and principles to safeguard critical funding in times of crisis, such as floods, earthquakes, and other extreme weather events.
SFO Deputy Chief Executive of Strategy and Prevention, Dan Eaton says, “During emergencies, our focus must always be on getting help to those who need it most, as quickly as possible. However, this urgency can create opportunities for fraudsters to exploit relief programmes, diverting vital resources from affected communities. This is why misappropriation of Government funding is a strategic area of focus for the SFO.”
The guide underscores that addressing fraud risks before emergencies occur enables organisations to implement more effective countermeasures. It outlines principles for fraud control in emergency management and includes countermeasures that can be applied before, during, and after an emergency.
Mr Eaton adds: “Fraud during emergency responses not only wastes public resources but undermines trust in government agencies during some of our most vulnerable moments. This guide equips organisations with the tools to proactively address fraud risks while maintaining the urgency of relief efforts.”
Key features of the guide:
- Five Principles of Fraud Control: A framework for managing fraud risks in emergency situations.
- Practical Guidance: Specific countermeasures tailored to different stages of the emergency management lifecycle.
- Targeted Audience: Designed for disaster response agencies, policy professionals, risk practitioners, finance teams, and assurance leads.
The SFO encourages all organisations involved in emergency relief and recovery to adopt the practices outlined in the guide to protect essential resources and maintain public trust.
If you’re in the public sector and would like to know how we can help build your organisation’s counter fraud culture, please get in touch here counterfraud@sfo.govt.nz.
About the SFO
The SFO is responsible for investigating and prosecuting serious or complex fraud, including bribery and corruption in New Zealand. With a focus on maintaining integrity and trust in the financial system, the SFO has developed strategic areas of focus to ensure it has the greatest impact with the cases it takes in. These are reviewed and updated every 12-18 months. SFO Strategic Areas of Focus(external link).