Avoiding Cyber Fraud in Small Businesses: What Auditors and Owners Need to Know [Hardcover]

G. Jack Bologna (Author), Paul Shaw (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0471372978 | ISBN-13: 978-0471372974 | Publication Date: May 26, 2000 | Edition: 1

INCREASE THE LIFE SPAN OF YOUR SMALL BUSINESS

The average small business has a life span of about five years, and inadequate internal controls are the main cause of failure. Cyber fraud, the leading culprit today in internal criminal activity, occurs when advanced technologies are used to steal money or property. The majority of such crimes occur in-house, and the lack of sufficient capital and technological resources committed to protecting company assets makes small businesses especially vulnerable. Awareness of the dangers of internal theft by computer, illegal access to information systems, credit card fraud, and Internet scams is integral-especially as auditors, business owners, and managers are increasingly held responsible for negligence.

Providing critical guidance on what auditors and businesses can do to better prevent and detect the growing number of occurrences of cyber fraud, the information in this one-of-a-kind manual:
* Protects outside auditors by supplying the knowledge to ensure they meet their responsibilities
* Protects small business owners by providing them with the necessary tools to meet due diligence requirements in cyber fraud prevention
* Focuses on the key areas of vulnerability

Take the first step in protecting your company-and your future-with Avoiding Cyber Fraud in Small Businesses, the only book committed to helping you keep your small business free of computer crime.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

As a businessperson in the twenty-first century, you have become a member of Cyberland. Whether you were an early technology enthusiast or a stickler for the tried and true, your company is now computerized, making it both more effective-and more vulnerable. In addition to all of your previous responsibilities, you now have another concern-cybercrime. And it is, indeed, your concern, as the major causes of the increase in this type of crime are employees who understand computers and security-and owners and managers who don't.

Avoiding Cyber Fraud in Small Businesses is the first book designed to empower auditors, managers, and small business owners-the ones who are held accountable-with the knowledge required to prevent and detect criminal activity within their organizations. Provided here is the guidance and information you need to learn how to:
* Be aware of the dangers of internal theft by computer, illegal access to information systems, credit card fraud, and Internet scams
* Ensure that adequate prevention and detection controls are in place
* Locate and properly utilize the appropriate outside advice and expertise
* Understand your company's legal obligation to protect assets

Including an overview of the various laws covering computer crime, intellectual property, workplace and employee problems, tort law, and compliance programs,Avoiding Cyber Fraud in Small Businesses will serve as an indispensable weapon against the most prevalent internal problem facing small businesses today.

From the Back Cover

INCREASE THE LIFE SPAN OF YOUR SMALL BUSINESS

The average small business has a life span of about five years, and inadequate internal controls are the main cause of failure. Cyber fraud, the leading culprit today in internal criminal activity, occurs when advanced technologies are used to steal money or property. The majority of such crimes occur in-house, and the lack of sufficient capital and technological resources committed to protecting company assets makes small businesses especially vulnerable. Awareness of the dangers of internal theft by computer, illegal access to information systems, credit card fraud, and Internet scams is integral-especially as auditors, business owners, and managers are increasingly held responsible for negligence.

Providing critical guidance on what auditors and businesses can do to better prevent and detect the growing number of occurrences of cyber fraud, the information in this one-of-a-kind manual:
* Protects outside auditors by supplying the knowledge to ensure they meet their responsibilities
* Protects small business owners by providing them with the necessary tools to meet due diligence requirements in cyber fraud prevention
* Focuses on the key areas of vulnerability

Take the first step in protecting your company-and your future-with Avoiding Cyber Fraud in Small Businesses, the only book committed to helping you keep your small business free of computer crime.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (May 26, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471372978
• ISBN-13: 978-0471372974
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,495,211 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Preventative measures + Fraud Basics, October 28, 2002

By 

Mike Tarrani "www.tarrani.com" (Deltona, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Avoiding Cyber Fraud in Small Businesses: What Auditors and Owners Need to Know (Hardcover)

This book is not as much about detecting fraud as it is about developing company-wide awareness and implementing detection measures. These are the keys to not only fraud prevention, but also security in general. My perspective is as an IT security professional, and I found this book to be thorough in that it covers all key items, and also to be applicable to any size business.

What I especially like about this book is its wide coverage that touches on each of the most important elements of awareness and prevention, including an objective assessment of cyber fraud as a threat, an approach to analyzing risks and vulnerabilities, and how to implement controls and policies. In addition to these basics, the book also goes into the technical aspects of security (written so that a non-IT professional can understand the fundamentals), and related topics, such as information protection, and legal issues associated with web site content. While the latter are not specific fraud vulnerabilities, they represent business risks that are loosely related to fraud.

Other material that I found useful and informative included the chapters on internal protection controls and conducting audits and investigations.

This book is a valuable resource for any IT security professional as well as corporate security, auditing and internal controls, and general business professionals (especially marketing). If you are new to fraud I also highly recommend "Fraud 101: Techniques and Strategies for Detection" by Howard R. Davia (ISBN 0471373095) which provides a solid foundation for understanding fraud management from a wider perspective, and "The Computer and Internet Fraud Manual" by Joseph T. Wells (ISBN 1889277363), which goes deeper into detection and response techniques.