If you’ve been watching any streaming services this winter, they’re filled with scammer stories that seem too outrageous to believe, such as “Inventing Anna,” “The Dropout,” “Ozark,” and “Dirty Money.”
What do they all have in common?
High-profiles and big-money fraud.
What does this have to do with you, a business owner? There are a lot of things you can learn from watching shows like this. How people commit fraud and swindle hundreds of thousands and even millions from educated people, may seem far-fetched, but it happens.
We’ve put this short list of the top five female and male fraudsters in the 21 Century together. You may want to read about them to discover just how they got away with it … until they didn’t.
Top 5 Female Fraudsters
Refinery29 provided this list of the 21 Century female fraudsters, including:
- Anna Delvey – fake German Heiress
- Elizabeth Holmes – Theranos Founder
- Lori Laughlin and Felicity Holmes – College cheating scandal
- Patricia Wutaan – swindler
- Kari Ferrel – hipster grifter
Plus, honorable Mention – Melissa King, was the administrator for Sandhogs Local 147 and was sentenced to six years in federal prison for stealing $42 million from union bank accounts so she could live like the superrich.
Top 5 Male Fraudsters
Resources, such as the Illinois CPA Society and Geoffrey G. Nathan Law Offices, provided these high-profile fraud cases committed by men, including:
- Bernie Ebbers – Worldcom
- James Koenig – Waste Management
- Jeff Skilling – Enron
- Russel Wasendorf – Peregrine Financial
- Bernie Madoff – Wall Street financier
If you spot any similarities in your employees, business partners, vendors, or anyone you do business with, listen to your gut and act on it.
If you need help establishing internal controls at your company, give me a call. I’d be happy to help you outline the process, identify tools, and recommend software solutions.
