Fraud, Waste, and Abuse Solutions
Left unaddressed, allegations of malfeasance and wasted resources undermine stakeholder confidence, workforce morale, and your organization’s strategic mission. The Vander Weele Group offers fraud prevention, detection, investigation, and recovery services to protect funds supporting programs that serve the public interest. We help you ensure that grant funds are spent meaningfully and achieve their intended outcomes. Our firm’s principals have a long history in addressing fraud in government. Our founder and CEO began her career as an investigative journalist, is a two-time Inspector General, and became a key member of the then-renowned turnaround team of Chicago Public Schools, which had been fraught with fraud and corruption. Our team includes individuals with Certified Inspector General, Certified Fraud Examiner, and prosecutorial experience.
Fraud, Waste, and Abuse: What is the Difference?
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Fraud is attempting to obtain something of value through willful misrepresentation.
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Waste is squandering money or resources, even if not explicitly illegal.
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Abuse is behaving improperly or unreasonably, or misusing one's position or authority.​
Data Analytics to Detect Fraud
Data – ranging from accounts payable to credit card expenditures – can be used to identify suspicious patterns suggesting fictitious invoices, ghost payrollers, excessive credit card spending or improper payments. We undertake the process from start to finish, including trend analysis and investigating the underlying reasons for problematic outliers.
Fraud and Forensic Audits
We conduct independent fraud audits to:
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Assess risk: Identify vulnerabilities in your operations.
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Detect red flags: Spot signs of potential fraud.
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Investigate fraud: Thoroughly examine suspected activity.
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Implement prevention: Develop controls and training to deter future fraud.
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Provide clear reports: Deliver actionable findings and communication strategies.
Fraud Investigations
At the Vander Weele Group, we draw on decades of experience to expertly sort through facts and report findings in objective and meticulously documented reports. Our work is augmented by a rich knowledge of forensic accounting and business. We investigate embezzlements, payroll fraud, insider dealing, kickbacks, diversion of product to the black market, product substitution, and other matters involving employee and vendor misconduct.