CKR Global

CKR Works with UNODC to develop domestic violence prevention training module for Viet Nam police

Mark Fonseca — Mon, 07 May 2012 21:00:46 +0000

CKR Global has consistently focused on the mitigation of threats to human safety and security – both at a corporate and individual level. Consistent with this, our team members have worked on projects around the world with various corporate and government clients, including the United Nations. Most recently, Mark LaLonde from our Coquitlam office was in VietNam working with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime and the People’s Police Academy in Hanoi to help develop national police capacity to address violence against women in domestic relationships. The training and accompanying curriculum is based in part on an international police handbook Mark developed for UNODC three years ago. This is one more example of how CKR Global helps meet local and international human safety and security needs.

Click here to read the story

Is corporate cyber crime inevitable?

Mark Fonseca — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 17:27:31 +0000

By ILSTV Staff on Apr 27, 2012 in Crime & Justice, Featured, Legal Issues, Risk Management, Software & Technology

View the video here on your mobile device

This video first ran in June 2011.

Narrator: The World Wide Web is a vast, borderless landscape, leaving all organizations open to some type of data exposure. The April, 2011 Sony data breach, which affected nearly eighty-million people, is an example of how even the biggest corporations are susceptible to cyber attacks. In fact, a 2009 survey conducted by the Computer Security Institute, found that 43% of U.S. businesses experienced some kind of cyber crime. Larry Racioppo, Executive Liability Practice leader with Towers Watson, says that cyber liability insurance is crucial for businesses of all sizes.

Larry Racioppo: I think a lot of the technology firms, a lot of the health care firms, and even a lot of the financial institutional type firms were the early purchasers of the product. But really, when you talk about cyber liability, it goes well beyond even those firms to really all industries of all sizes because they do have a lot of data and organizations probably have more data then they need; and in that regard they have a significant cyber exposure.

Narrator: According to the Towers Watson 2011 Risk and Finance Manager Survey, companies are obviously concerned with the data exposure, but it is the optics of the aftermath of the breach that concerns them most.

Larry Racioppo: Reputational risk is by-and-large their biggest concern. So, a public relations firm is something these policies can assist with, and a lot of the other triage to help in that regard: Legal counsel. Like I say forty-six states have privacy laws that need to be complied with and again, internally, companies generally don’t have that expertise. When an event finally happens having those resources available is something that can be invaluable.

The reality is, you may not be able to stop cyber crime, but you certainly want to do as much diligence as you can so in the event of a breach, and ultimate suit, you are in a better position to defend yourself. Certainly doing nothing is not a good defense. So, whether it’s engaging with risk assessment firms, risk mitigation firms, trying to work with an insurance broker or consultant in terms of trying to quantify the risk and also transferring the risk, I think are all companies should probably be doing more of to help in that regard.

13-point checklist to secure your smartphone

Mark Fonseca — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 15:46:21 +0000

By ILSTV Staff on Mar 23, 2012 in Risk Management, Software & Technology

Apples, Blackberries and Droids seem to have taken over. In September 2011, 8 million Canadians – representing 40 percent of the mobile market – owned a smartphone like an iPhone, BlackBerry or Android device. Of these eight million smartphone users, 84.2 percent downloaded applications (apps) and 74.8 percent regularly browsed on the internet, according to data from comScore. But, as convenient as they are, mobile use – especially smartphone use – does have its risks. More than half – 58 percent – of the organizations surveyed by the Ponemon Institute experienced data loss resulting from employee use of insecure mobile devices, including laptops, smartphones, USB devices, and tablets.

“Mobile security must become second nature to users; these consumers need to be ever vigilant and proactive in managing the security of their smartphones,” says John Frankovich, COO and Managing Partner of business and IT consultancy Attevo’s Mobile Interaction Practice.

To help with this task, Frankovich offers the following Attevo 13-Point Checklist of security habits and usage suggestions for all smartphone owners:

Always maintain physical control over your smartphone to prevent outright theft, unauthorized usage or the installation of malware (apps with malicious code) by seemingly mild-mannered co-workers or by ruthless digital predators; treat a smartphone like a wallet, never leave it unattended in public spaces.
Enable the smartphone’s password/passcode protection setting; a recent study reveals that only 38% of smartphone users enable this basic security feature.
Install operating system updates whenever they become available to reduce the number of system vulnerabilities; a 2011 report indicated that 90% of Android users were running outdated operating system versions with serious security vulnerabilities.
Install an anti-malware protection app (if available for the device) to thwart infection from malicious apps and websites; all major platforms have been hacked and are susceptible.
When using the smartphone’s web browser, avoid suspicious/questionable websites that can be the source of malicious code.
Be selective when buying or installing apps; wait for app reviews, download only from trusted sources (known app stores) and be cautious/suspicious of free apps, because they are free for a reason (the reason could be access to your data).
Understand and control each downloaded apps “access” to smartphone data and personal information; game apps do not need access to phonebook contacts, photos, e-mails, location, browsing history, texting history and other phone features (avoid allowing automatic app updates).
Do not save passwords, PINs or other account information as Contacts or in Notes.
Avoid using open WIFIs, especially for shopping and banking activities; WIFI sniffing is a common occurrence that can have significant consequences like lost credit card numbers.
Avoid opening suspicious e-mail or SMS text messages, especially from unknown sources; unwary readers may be unwillingly tricked into phishing by entering sensitive information from online prompts.
Turn the Bluetooth access feature off when not needed and avoid Bluetooth use in busy public areas.
Utilize a PIN to access voice-mail and avoid using the carrier’s default PIN setting.
Insure that smartphone e-mail account access is through either a SSL or HTTPS connection so that transmitted data is encrypted.

More than half of working Canadians exposed to workplace harassment

Mark Fonseca — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 15:44:29 +0000

By ILSTV Staff on Mar 23, 2012 in In The Office

Workplace harassment is still very much a part of the modern-day office environment, according to a recent Leger Marketing poll commissioned by Queen’s School of Business. Fifty-seven percent of working Canadians said they have experienced or witnessed workplace harassment in their careers.

The way Don Draper, the often celebrated protagonist on the Mad Men television series, behaves towards women is widely regarded as an approach of days gone by, says Dr. Jana Raver, Associate Professor at Queen’s School of Business.

“While we no longer smoke and drink in the office like the characters from Mad Men, Don Draper’s style of workplace harassment is still alive and well in 2012,” says Dr. Jana Raver, Associate Professor at Queen’s School of Business. “Many offenders rationalize their actions as harmless, but this isn’t a TV show that ends in 60 minutes — its real life, and a single incident of harassment can cause long-lasting suffering for the victim.”

Harassment in today’s work place may look different than it did in the Mad Men era; Dr. Raver says inappropriate ‘love taps’ and coerced office affairs, like those portrayed on the popular show, aren’t the only acts constituting today’s harassment behaviours; harassment can take a variety of insidious forms that are sometimes difficult to identify.

She says gender dynamics play a role, but not strictly in the male versus female way that many of us may think.

While men are disproportionately identified as the culprits with half of the harassment inflicted solely by them, according to Dr. Raver, today’s office bully might very well be “Dawn Draper.” When women experience harassment (personally or witness to it), they are twice as likely as men to report that it came from another woman (30 per cent vs. 15 per cent of men).

The study also found that women are more likely to reveal they have personally experienced harassment (33 per cent vs. 26 per cent of men).

“Today’s workplace bully can be male or female, but while men tend to bully both women and men equally, female bullies tend to disproportionately choose other female colleagues as targets,” says Raver. “And contrary to stereotypes of bullies preying on the weak for power, most targets of bullying in the office — regardless of gender — tend to be the average and above-average performers.”

Ontarians willing to report insurance fraud, but don’t know how

Mark Fonseca — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 15:27:12 +0000

By ILSTV Staff on Mar 23, 2012 in Canadian Insurance, Crime & Justice

There’s encouraging news and not-so-encouraging news about insurance fraud in Ontario.

The encouraging news: As part of Fraud Awareness month, a recent Pollara Poll, commissioned for the insurance industry, found that awareness of insurance fraud is up and an understanding of the impact fraudulent activities has on the bottom line is up, too.

Most (83 percent) Ontarians surveyed believe insurance fraud occurs frequently or occasionally in the province, the poll found. Just 14 percent think it’s a rare occurrence. Nearly everyone in Ontario (96 percent) understands the link between insurance fraud and higher auto insurance premiums. Nearly three-quarters (72 percent) of Ontarians would likely report a person in the health industry who commits insurance fraud.

However, the majority (58 percent) said they wouldn’t know where to report someone working in a health clinic that was engaging in fraudulent activity. When presented with options for reporting, the majority choose the police (68 percent), or their insurance company/broker/agent (67 percent). Fewer would report fraud to Ontario’s insurance regulator (51 percent) and Ontario’s regulator of health practitioners or health clinics (47 percent).

“Clearly, Ontarians understand that there is a problem to be addressed,” said Ralph Palumbo, Vice President, Ontario Region, for Insurance Bureau of Canada. “We work with law enforcement and insurers to identify criminal activity.” He adds, “You can help combat insurance fraud, and to help catch these fraudsters, if you have any information about insurance crime, call our anonymous TIPS line (1-877-IBC TIPS). It’s an excellent first step.”

CKR Sponsors OGI Hockey Tournament

Mark Fonseca — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 04:26:00 +0000

Every year CKR Global sponsors the Ontario General Insurance Hockey Tournament for a great cause that supports local youth and charities. This year CKR Investigations volunteered to photograph the event which occurred over the March 16-18, 2012 weekend. 50 teams participated and over 9000 photographs were captured!

The photographs have been made available online – http://ckrglobal.com/ogiht/

The high cost of workplace fraud

Mark Fonseca — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 15:45:29 +0000

Morale, confidence at stake in wake of rising crime

Derek Sankey

For the Calgary Herald

A new report has found workplace fraud is costing Canada’s small and medium enterprises (SMEs) at least $3.2 billion a year – probably much more – and is hurting employee morale, just as the authors of the report say the problem is growing.

About 290,000 SMEs were victims of one or more instances of workplace fraud in the past year, says The Certified General Accountants Association of Canada (CGA-Canada) in its study.

“The risk of workplace fraud is almost certain to rise as economic growth slows and more employees experience financial difficulties,” says Rock Lefebvre, CGA-Canada’s vicepresident of research and standards and co-author of the report.

The most common forms of fraud were misappropriation of inventory or assets and misappropriation of cash.

“The financial loss is one thing, but it’s staff morale and management confidence that really take a hit,” Lefebvre says. “The reputation, value and public and client trust of these companies also suffer.”

Workplace fraud losses cost between five per cent and 10 per cent of Canada’s gross domestic product, according to Greg Draper, national leader of investigative forensic services with MNP LLP, one of the country’s largest chartered accountancy firms.

At least 10 per cent of business bankruptcies cited fraud as the cause, according to the Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy Canada. Most frauds that happen are committed by an employee with seven to 14 years of experience on the job, Draper adds.

It causes an environment of stress and mistrust as everybody’s day-to-day work schedules are “thrown out the window” as companies try to recover from the damages.

“It can be like an atomic bomb going off inside of a business,” Draper says.

“There’s shock, frenzy and you don’t want to believe it happened.”

As economic pressures ramp up on individuals, “we’re seeing more of it come up now,” he says, and it goes far beyond just the bottom line of a company to the point where some of a company’s best employees may choose to find employment elsewhere. Those left behind to pick up the pieces often lose faith in the company and its managers.

Tim Houghton, vicepresident of risk solutions for CKR Global Risk Solutions in Calgary, says 75 per cent of all employee-related crimes, including theft fraud, assaults and other crimes, go unnoticed.

“So much theft and fraud goes undetected,” Houghton says, noting a company is 15 times more likely to have an employee steal from an employer versus a non-employee. “If you consider that 75 per cent (of all crimes) go unreported, then that $3.2 billion is actually a quarter of the actual loss,” he says. “It has a huge impact, both financially and non-financially, for most (SMEs).”

However, CGA-Canada found 74 per cent of respondents believe their exposure to occupational fraud is low, with 80 per cent having no response plan in place. Fifty-nine per cent of employers are undertaking no form of risk assessment.

Early steps that can be taken include a pre-employment background check, which can cost as little as $150, compared to the average on-boarding cost of $1,500 to $2,000, Houghton says.

Once hired, employers need to have employees read, understand and sign a code of conduct and follow through with clear communication about expectations.

Internal controls and systems need to be monitored and effective by controlling who has data access, along with access to phone systems, Houghton says.

A “zero-tolerance policy” must be clearly communicated to head off problems before they occur.

Whistle-blowing hotlines are another effective way to ensure that you use every employee’s set of eyes and ears to limit the risk of fraud, which falls into three main categories: embezzlement, corruption and fraudulent documents.

Each company – no matter what the size – should view prevention, detection and response measures as an investment, rather than an upfront cost.

“If you’re able to recover some of that potential loss . . . it’s really not an expense to manage fraud ahead of time,” Draper says. “You have to look at it as an investment.”

It also requires companies to tailor prevention and detection measures according to the individual needs of each organization.

“There’s no one model for every single company,” Draper says. “You can’t eliminate fraud – there will always be a way for bad people to do bad things . . . but if you can reduce the risks, you’re much better off.”

derek.sankey@telus.net

Ontario Fraud Ring Busted!

Mark Fonseca — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 15:38:52 +0000

Toronto Police have arrested 37 people and laid 130 charges in connection with project Whiplash, an investigation into an alleged insurance fraud ring that resulted in insurance payouts totalling $4 million. Click here to hear CKR Global’s Chairman, Brian King, speaking on Toronto radio station CFRB, giving his professional perspective on this large Canadian case.

Download audio clip - http://ckrglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Brian-King-CFRB-Interview.m4a

Fanning The Flame – The Alberta Broker

Mark Fonseca — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 17:07:25 +0000

CKR Global Investigations’ own Amy Foggin, WICC Alberta Co-Chair, writes Chapter update for The Alberta Broker

Click here to download a copy of the article.

Next-Gen Corporate Social Responsibility Forum: Elevating CSR Practices and Partnerships for Canadian Industry Abroad

Mark Fonseca — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 19:17:48 +0000

When – Thursday, 16 February 2012 from 07:15 to 17:00 (MT)

Where – Westin Hotel, Calgary, Alberta

This is a practical, interactive forum on the future direction of Corporate Social Responsibility for the extractive sector, as well as other Canadian industries active internationally. The forum brings together corporate and public sector leaders to highlight and advance the CSR-related concepts, tools and partnerships that will set the foundation for companies to earn and maintain a social license to operate. All forum panels and case studies will devote the majority of time to Q&A

Click here for more information!

12:00 – 13:30	Keynote & Networking Lunch
	Sponsored by CKR Global Risk Solutions (ckrglobal.com)DFAIT has invited a leading CSR figure to present – details to follow shortly