Bytes Universal Systems has announced that it has joined the South African Chapter of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE SA) as a corporate member. The ACFE is a leading global anti-fraud association, providing more than 70 000 members with professional certification and ongoing training in the fight to turn back the tide of fraud and corruption globally.
Fraud and corruption are acknowledged to be among the severest challenges facing business and government around the world. They are responsible for damaging corporate profitability as a slew of high-profile cases before and after Enron can attest. They are also a major barrier to any government's ability to deliver services and thus a major contributor to social unrest - something South Africans do not need explained to them.
The ACFE's 2012 Report to the nations on occupational fraud and abuse found that the cost of occupational fraud - both financial and reputational - was "acutely damaging". It further observed that nearly half of victim organisations fail to recover their losses, making proactive fraud-prevention measures imperative.
"It is against this backdrop that Bytes Universal Systems has decided to become a corporate member of the ACFE SA and a platinum sponsor of the annual conference in South Africa," says Mark Neethling, divisional manager: Business Solutions at Bytes Universal Systems. "The conference has attracted some 800 delegates from 18 countries, which just shows the high priority both business and government are placing on fighting fraud and corruption. This concern is mirrored in the code of ethics and corporate values of the Altron Group, of which Bytes is a part."
In fact, this conference is the largest anti-fraud event in Africa, and the second-largest in the world.
"Corporate involvement by companies like Bytes Universal Systems is essential in gaining a critical mass of organisations that support the ACFE's goals, code of ethics and professional standards, and building an anti-fraud profession with wide credibility," says Jaco de Jager, CEO of the South African Chapter of the ACFE. "We are excited to have Bytes on board, and look forward to working with them into the future - especially as technology has a growing role to play in helping detect and prevent fraud."
Share