"Don't tell your bank." "Your family wouldn't understand." "Let's keep this inside the team."

Each line is meant to stop anyone else from asking the question that would expose the fraud.

International Fraud Awareness Week runs 15-21 November 2026, so here is a control worth strengthening this year: making it safe to speak up.^[ref]

How criminals keep the conversation closed:

🤫 Secrecy dressed up as protection - A caller posing as the police or the bank says the payment is part of a confidential investigation, and tells the victim to hide the real reason from bank staff. That secrecy keeps the victim away from the bank staff most likely to spot the lie.^[ref]

😔 Shame as leverage - After being tricked, or threatened with intimate images, the victim fears being judged and stays quiet. Offenders use that isolation to demand more money or more material.^[ref]

🧑‍💼 Authority that discourages questions - A powerful colleague makes questioning an odd payment feel disloyal or career-ending. Fear of retaliation keeps wrongdoing alive.

🤝 Loyalty instead of scrutiny - "They have worked here for years" becomes the reason nobody reports an inconsistency. A trusted relationship makes an ordinary concern feel like betrayal.

🗄️ Reports that go nowhere - A warning with no owner, no safe escalation route and no follow-up leaves the problem exactly where it was. A reporting channel that people fear or distrust is a control in name only.

In ACFE's 2026 Report to the Nations, tips uncovered 43% of the 2,402 occupational-fraud cases studied. That is a sample of investigated cases, not a reporting rate for all fraud, but it shows how much depends on someone being heard.^[ref]

Staying silent or reporting late does not make anyone responsible for the crime. Fear, safety and power all shape what a person feels able to do.

What to do:

If you are affected or notice something:

- Talk to someone you trust, or use an independent reporting route. You do not need a finished investigation to raise a factual concern.

- If money has already moved, contact the payment provider straight away through a channel you know, and report it to the right authority.

- Keep the relevant messages, dates and transaction details. Do not forward intimate images or investigate suspects yourself.

- If your manager is involved, use a route outside their control. If someone is monitoring you, pick a safe device and channel.

For organizations and anyone receiving a report:

- Start with "Thank you for telling me," not "Why did you do that?"

- Offer reporting options people will actually use, including confidential or anonymous routes where available, and be honest about their limits.

- Assign an owner, assess urgency, protect the evidence and keep the reporter informed as appropriate. Protect reporters from retaliation, and watch for it.^[ref]

- Measure whether concerns lead to decisions, not just whether a hotline exists.